One deminer killed, one injured in mine explosion in Cambodia

One Cambodian demining expert was killed and his female-teammate seriously wounded in an unsuccessful attempt to defuse an anti-personnel mine during a clearance operation in western Pailin province on Friday.

Heng Ratana, director-general of the Cambodian Mine Action Center (CMAC), said the two victims worked for the Britain-based mine charity organization, the Halo Trust, that has been in Cambodia since the 1990s.

"According to the information I got, one male-deminer was killed outright and his female-colleague was badly injured in the explosion," he told Xinhua, adding that the injured was flown by helicopter to a hospital in Phnom Penh for treatment.

Cambodia is one of the most landmine-affected countries in the world. An estimated 4 to 6 million landmines and other munitions were left over from nearly three decades of war that ended in 1998.

According to government figures, from 1979 to 2016, landmines and unexploded ordnances had killed 19,748 people and either injured or amputated 44,914 others.

source http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1028673.shtml