On the morning of December 9, at the Martyrs Cemetery of Binh Thuan province, the Party Committee, the Command of Military Region 7 and local authorities held a funeral ceremony for martyrs who were citizens of Binh Thuan who sacrificed their lives while performing a drill mission at the National Shooting Range Region 3 (Dong Nai) on December 2.
Among the 12 martyrs who died, 6 were citizens of Binh Thuan: Sergeant Pham Ngoc Hieu, Sergeant Nguyen Trong Hoa, Sergeant Nguyen Ho Gia Huy, Sergeant Vo Thanh Hieu, Sergeant Thong Minh Kiet, and Sergeant Bui Hy Lap.
According to the family's wishes, 1 martyr was buried in the local cemetery, the remaining 5 martyrs were buried in the Binh Thuan Province Martyrs' Cemetery. The martyrs were all soldiers of Company 3, Battalion 17, Division 5, Military Region 7.
The Organizing Committee solemnly conducted the funeral ceremony. Delegations from Military Region 7, the Provincial Party Committee, People's Council, People's Committee, Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Binh Thuan province, along with delegations from armed forces, localities, families and relatives, took turns offering incense to commemorate the martyrs. After that, the ceremony of moving the ashes and burial was performed.
According to information from the Ministry of National Defense, from December 1 to 4, Military Region 7 organized a defensive combat exercise in harsh weather conditions and complex terrain.
At 8:27 p.m. on December 2, at the National Shooting Range Area 3 (Xuan Loc District, Dong Nai Province), while carrying out the task of transporting explosives to the assembly location, it was raining heavily and thundering, so the working group consisting of a number of soldiers from Battalion 17, Division 5, Military Region 7 paused for a break. Suddenly, the explosives exploded, injuring and killing many soldiers.
As soon as the incident occurred, the unit commander was present in time to handle it. The initial cause was determined to be lightning striking the detonator, causing the detonator to detonate electrically, causing the explosive to explode.
