Tonight, the BDF continues to collect what can only be called bomb relics from across Orange Walk - and they come in all shapes, weights and sizes.
The awareness of the danger of these relics only came after 25 year old Jose Valencia was killed 5 days ago when he was welding hooks onto one of the three bombs his boss, Dave Burgos owned. They planned to use them as ornaments as some in the north do.
Today when we spoke with the area representative for Orange walk South and he confirmed that there are more bombs scattered across in the district - and he sympathized with his former PUP colleague Dave Burgos:
Jose Mai, Area Representative Orange walk South
"I listened to the entire interview for Mr Burgos and I feel for him, I really sympathize with the family of the young man who died and even with David Burgos I don't believe that he in any way intentionally would have caused this to happen. And I have said in cabinet to colleagues that I know that I have seen many of these bombs or bomb looking structures around in Orange Walk. I have seen them at scrap yards since there is a scrap metal market, people go around looking for these things and I have seen a number of them so what Mr Burgos said in his interview is really true. I have seen it before. Now I would have never believed that seeing this thing in a scrap yard it would be an active bomb. To be honest I would have never seen something like that. I would have never suspected something like that and our worst fears came true. And this is only a matter of time before someone else has another experience because I have seen those things around. I think that we must as a government look at it more seriously and try to find a way to get these things out of where they are right now and put them in a safe place or destroy them because it is going to happen again. I think it is irresponsible to leave bombs in a country that you used to practice. It is irresponsible. It is like you go to a firing range to practice your shooting and leave your rifle and rounds thrown in the field. I think something needs to be done about that, definitely because it is going to happen again."
