The blast occurred while the soldiers, who specialize in handling explosives, were working at the storage facility for unexploded World War II ordnance, authorities said.
Breakdown
- Four Japanese soldiers injured in explosion at US base in Okinawa.
- The soldiers were handling unexploded World War II ordnance at a storage site. 12s
- One device exploded during inspection, causing the injuries. 26s
- This is the first such accident since the ordnance disposal unit was launched in 1974. 35s
- Hundreds of tons of unexploded bombs remain in Japan, especially in Okinawa. 44s