40 casualties from ERW, landmines since January

Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority (CMAA) recorded 40 casualties from landmines and explosive remnants of war (ERW) in the first eight months of this year, an increase of 21 % compared with 33 over the same period last year. CMAA said that 18 people were maimed and killed by landmines and another 22 by ERW.

Ten people were killed, 23 sustained injuries and seven amputated, CMAA said, noting that there were 27 men, 12 teenage boys and a woman. The people were killed and injured by the landmines and ERW because they were ploughing the fields to cultivate crops, demining and stepping on landmines while tending their cattle, said CMAA.

The government has committed to reaching the country’s mine-free goal by 2025. Cambodia has so far removed landmines or explosive remnants of war (ERW) from approximately 2,385 square kilometres of land, which are now being used for productive purposes such as agriculture, resettlement, roads, schools, and other infrastructure development.

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