A total of 51 Buddha images have been unearthed in a rural area of northern Laos' Xieng Khuang province while an unexploded ordnance clearance team was working there in the excavation.

While the exact age and origin of the figurines remain unknown, authorities believe they could date back several hundred years, the local news website Lao Pattana News reported on Tuesday.

After the excavation on April 2, the unearthed Buddha statues have been placed, under tight security, at a village office in Phoukoud district of the province, some 180 km northeast of the Lao capital Vientiane.

Officials from the Lao Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism are scheduled to inspect the excavation site in Xieng Khuang from April 8 to 9.

In March, more than 200 Buddha statues of unknown age and origin were unearthed in Tonpheung district of the northern Bokeo province. Excavations in the area are continuing in the hope that more will be found.