(Phnom Penh) Three Cambodian deminers were killed on Monday by anti-tank mines that exploded as they tried to remove them, authorities said.
The three experts from the non-profit organization Cambodia Self-Help Demining (CSHD) were killed instantly in the explosion, which also left one seriously injured.
The team was clearing the remains of civil war mines in a remote village in the northwestern province of Preah Vihear, said Heng Ratana, director general of the Cambodian Action Center. against mines (CMAC).
PHOTO HENG SINITH, ARCHIVES ASSOCIATED PRESS
A Cambodian demining expert shows unexploded bombs before their destruction in Preah Vihear province, about 245 kilometers north of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on July 7, 2011. Nearly three decades of US civil war and bombing in From the 1960s onwards, Cambodia was one of the most heavily mined countries in the world.
“This is very sad news. They were trying to remove two or three anti-tank mines that were stacked on top of each other, ”Sophin Sophary, CSHD operations manager, told AFP.
Just 20 minutes before the explosion that killed deminers, a man who burned vegetation on his farm was killed by wartime munitions in the same village, Heng Ratana added.
Nearly three decades of civil war and American bombing from the 1960s onwards made Cambodia one of the most heavily mined countries in the world.
The kingdom has pledged to eliminate all mines and unexploded ordnance by 2025.