145 wartime shells cleared in central China city

A total of 145 shells left by Japanese and Chinese troops during World War II were cleared in Changde city of central China's Hunan province on Tuesday, local authorities said.

The shells, recovered from construction sites and ponds in the past five years in the city, were detonated at Baishi Village, said Wu Linfang, a police officer from the municipal public security bureau.

The shells included aerobombs, grenades and a 300-kg hexagon-sized homemade bomb, said Wu.

The fuses and bodies of the rusted shells were still intact and posed a safety risk, said Jiang Zhongqiu, another police officer, adding that they needed to be detonated.

Professionals from the National University of Defense Technology detonated the shells, he said.

The Battle of Changde was a major engagement in World War II. It was fought in 1943 and claimed the lives of 60,000 Chinese soldiers.

Before the battle, Japanese invaders killed hundreds by spreading plague-contaminated crops in Changde.