Monday, May 03, 2010

Five Killed, Nine Injured By Anti-Tank Mine Blast In Cambodia

PHNOM PENH, May 3 (Bernama) -- Five plantation workers were killed and nine others injured by an anti-tank mine that exploded when their vehicle drove over it Saturday afternoon in Pailin province's Sala Krao district, a government mine official confirmed on Monday.

Leng Sochea, deputy secretary general of Mine Action Authority, told Xinhua by phone that three people died instantly at the scene while another two died in the hospital.

Huot Sattha, director of the government's Mine Action Planning Unit in Pailin province, was quoted by the Phnom Penh Post as saying that 13 plantation workers were in the vehicle when it hit the mine, and one passenger escaped with only minor injuries.

"The driver and two women died instantly at the scene after their homemade vehicle ran over the mine on their way home from work," he was quoted as saying.

Last year Cambodia saw 243 land-mine and explosive remnants of war casualties, down from 271 in 2008.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Could it be that the siamese soldiers sneaked into our land to plant the mine ?
The Khmers always accept without firm evidence that the mine was a leftover from KR era.