France’s northern and north-eastern regions were devastated by World War I. So much so, that after the armistice the government declared large swathes of it a “red zone” – off-limits for habitation and agriculture. The former battlefield of Verdun is part of this zone.
It was there that some 300,000 soldiers were killed in just 10 months in 1916.
And a century later, it is still littered with unexploded ammunition. A public safety issue that brings regional mine-clearing experts and forest rangers to the site every day.
Correspondent Claire Rush has this report from the Red Zone near Verdun.
