Two deminers killed in mine explosion in northwestern Cambodia

[geovalin]

PHNOM PENH, May 11 (Xinhua) -- Two Cambodian deminers were killed on Saturday after an anti-tank mine exploded during a mine clearance operation in a former battlefield in Cambodia's northwestern Battambang province, a local police officer said Sunday.

The accident took place in Battambang province's remote Samlot district when the two victims -- Phin Nout and Chhum Chhay -- who worked for a Britain-registered mine charity organization The Halo Trust, dug the ground and accidentally hit the mine, triggering explosion, said Nguon Mot, deputy police chief of Samlot district. "They were killed immediately after the mine broke out,"he told Xinhua over telephone.

Cambodia is one of the world's worst countries affected by mines. An estimated 4 million to 6 million landmines and other munitions have left over from three decades of war and internal conflicts that ended in 1998.

According to a government report, from 1979 to March 2014, landmines and unexploded ordnance had killed 19,693 people and either injured or amputated 44,681 others.

The country is seeking around 50 million U.S. dollars a year until 2020 to entirely get rid of all types of anti-personnel mines, according to Heng Ratana, director general of the Cambodian Mine Action Center.

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article/article_xinhua.aspx?id=217610

[ClutchClark]

I have the utmost respect for the people who dedicate their lives to the removal of mines. It is truly a selfless act that benefits all of humankind--particularly children.