A Vietnam War-era artillery shell detonated when a man tried sawing into it for explosives, killing six children standing nearby, an official said Friday.

Three of the children died instantly and the others died on the way to hospitals following Thursday's incident in Tan Loi village in Binh Phuoc province, some 190 kilometers (120 miles) north of Ho Chi Minh City, said village military chief Le Viet Truyen.