Vietnam discovers mass grave of communist soldiers

The Associated Press ,  Hanoi   |  Mon, 09/08/2008 9:30 AM  |  World

A military official says authorities in Vietnam's Central Highlands have discovered a mass grave containing 22 sets of remains of communist soldiers killed during the Vietnam War.

Lieut. Col. Nguyen Tien Lam of the provincial military command says it took an excavation team of 12 soldiers five days to recover the remains in Kon Tum province.

He said Monday that the remains were discovered by a resident who was digging the foundation for a house.

Lam says none of the remains have been identified, but they are believed to belong to communist soldiers who were killed during the Tet Offensive in 1968.

He says the excavation team also found some personal effects such as rubber sandals, water containers, hammocks and bullets.

An estimated 58,000 Americans and 3 million Vietnamese were killed in the Vietnam War, which ended in 1975. (amr)

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