190 World War II artillery shells found in north China
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About 190 artillery shells discarded by Japanese troops during World War II have been found in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.
The shells were discovered buried under a swamp about 500 meters away from a residential community in the region's Xilingol Prefecture, according to Zha Gan, an officer from the local police station. Zha said the shells were discovered on Tuesday after water levels in the swamp dropped, revealing the buried munitions.
The shells are rusty from being submerged in water for nearly 70 years, but still have the possibility of detonating, Zha said.
Police have cardoned off the site and warned people living within five kilometers of the site not to go near it.
A large number of Japanese troops were garrisoned in the region during Japan's invasion of China in the late 1930s. Remains of military facilities, including bunkers and a military airport, were previously found in a nearby prefecture.
Police believe the shells were intentionally hidden under the swamp, as the Japanese army could not carry the shells and had no time to destroy them during their retreat in the 1940s.
Police have asked bomb disposal experts to help destroy the shells.
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