Solomon Islands blast: Two men working for bomb disposal agency killed in explosion
A Briton and an Australian died in the bomb-related accident in the South Pacific
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A British man and an Australian colleague working for a bomb disposal NGO have been killed in an explosion on the Solomon Islands.
Briton Stephen Atkinson, known as Luke, and Trent Lee, from Australia, were involved in diffusing live munitions left over from the Second World War.
Both were employees of non-governmental organisation Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA), whose secretary general, Killi Westhrin, said that it was “devastated by what has happened”.
The blast took place in a residential part of the capital city, Honiara, late on Sunday, though the exact circumstances of the accident remain unclear.
Police said the site had to be declared safe before investigators could determine the details. However, Inspector Clifford Tunuki, the officer in charge of bomb disposal, indicated that there were “several” unexploded remnants in the area and that the men “may have been conducting some UXO [bomb disposal] work”.
Mr Lee’s Facebook page describes him as a chemical weapons adviser, adding that his role was to “to survey and locate the items, then hand information over [to] the police”.
NPA’s deputy secretary general, Per Nergaard, called the explosion a “tragic incident”. In a statement on its website, he said: “So far, we know that there has been an explosion with fatal consequences. Our main priority now is to offer assistance to relatives and colleagues, and to clarify what has happened.”
Mr Nergaard added that the organisation had suspended its activities on the Solomon Islands.
The agency had been assisting local authorities with developing a database of bombs dropped during the Second World War, where the Pacific nation was the scene of fierce land and aerial battles between US and Japanese forces.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments