260 Cambodians killed by Mine accidents in 11 months this year

Mine/ERW (Explosive Remnants of War) killed 260 Cambodian people in the first eleven months this year, up 20 percent compared to the same period of last year's 217 casualties, according to the report from the Cambodian Mine/ERW Victim Information System obtained on Tuesday.

The report recorded that from January to November this year, the cases of accidents increased by 2.23 percent to 137 accidents from 134 accidents at the same period of last year.

In November 2010 alone, 24 new casualties from 9 Mine/ERW accidents in five different provinces were reported, represented 140 percent rise if compared to the same month of last year of only 10 casualties.

The sharp rise in November was due to an anti-mine explosion in mid-November killed 14 people in a remote area in Battambang province.

Cambodia's five most mine-laid provinces are Battambang, Banteay Meanchey, Udor Meanchey, Pailin and Preah Vihear.

Mines had been laid in decades of chronic conflicts from the late 1960s to the mid-1990s.

Source: Xinhua