An accidental bomb explosion killed seven people, including two children aged 10 and 12, in a village in Burma's western Arakan State on Sunday afternoon.

Local witnesses said the bomb, which was believed to have been left behind from World War II, exploded when villagers in Thae Chaung village of Sittwe Township attempted to smash it open. 

During the Second World War, Arakan State saw fierce battles between Japanese and British forces. The coastal region along the Bay of Bengal was a strategic location for British forces to drive out the occupying Japanese troops from Burma.