Defective ammo blamed for blast

BANDUNG: The provincial military investigation team revealed on Tuesday that a cannonball which killed a boy after it crashed into a house in Batujajar district here last week was the result of "a product defect".

Spokesman for the Siliwangi Military Command Lt. Col. Fatwa Suratnoko said the 105-millimeter cannonball came from the third cannon.

"Unlike normal cannonballs, a strange smell came from this one," he said.

Fatwa said the investigation team checked over all the weapons and ammunition used during last week's training, and was investigating the possibility of human error in the unprecedented incident. (25/edt)