2,000-pound MK84 bomb leaves massive crater on key border road

2,000-pound MK84 bomb leaves massive crater on key border road

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Oddar Meanchey–A senior mine clearance official has confirmed that a massive crater discovered along a key border road in Oddar Meanchey Province was caused by a 2,000-pound (907kg) MK84 bomb, describing the weapon as highly destructive and unsuitable for use in civilian areas.

According to Chin Bunheut, Deputy Chief of the Oddar Meanchey Demining Unit at the Cambodian Mine Action Centre (CMAC), the bomb caused extensive damage to a major transport route linking Samraong City and Banteay Ampil District, with traffic continuing onward to Banteay Meanchey Province and Poipet City.

“A single MK84 bomb created a crater more than 15 metres wide and around 10 metres deep,” he said, adding that the explosion severely damaged road infrastructure vital to cross-border and inter-provincial transport.

He stressed that weapons of this magnitude should never be used in civilian areas, noting that such use violates international humanitarian norms, including conventions prohibiting cluster munitions and other heavy explosive weapons.

According to Bunheut, the MK84 is part of the MK-series of aerial bombs, which also includes the MK81, MK82 and MK83. The MK84 is the most powerful variant, weighing approximately 907 kilograms and containing around 429 kilograms of high-grade explosive material.

“These characteristics give the weapon an extremely high blast capacity,” he said.

The discovery comes as clearance teams from the Cambodian Mine Action Centre and provincial authorities continue to assess unexploded ordnance and explosive remnants of war in affected border areas, amid concerns over civilian safety and damage to public infrastructure.

-Khmer Times-