War-era mass grave of North Vietnam soldiers found

HANOI, Vietnam – Authorities have found a mass grave of 17 North Vietnamese soldiers killed during the Vietnam War more than 40 years ago.

Nguyen Thanh Minh, a village chief in central Thua Thien Hue province, says the soldiers are believed to have died during an attack by American forces in May 1967.

He said Thursday that it took authorities nearly two weeks to dig up the remains of the soldiers, none of whom were identified. Excavators also found some personal effects such as rubber sandals, belts and rain coats, as well as knives and grenades.

About 58,000 U.S. troops and 3 million Vietnamese died in the war, which ended in 1975 after North Vietnam's communist forces overran Saigon, the capital of U.S.-backed South Vietnam.