Tehran: An Iranian official said that over 4 million people in the country’s western and southern provinces are threatened by unexploded mines and explosives.
There are 20 million unexploded mines and explosives left in Iran due to the eight-year war with Iraq from 1980 to 1988, Mohammad-Hossein Amir-Ahmadi, president of Iran’s Mine Action Center, was quoted as saying on the occasion of the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action.
The explosives are buried in an area of 42,000 square kilometres stretching across five provinces along the western and southwestern borders, where more than 3 million have been detected and cleared, reports Xinhua news agency.
Amir-Ahmadi said the buried mines and explosives in the country have so far killed over 8,000 civilians, and led to unemployment, migration from the affected regions and destruction of the environmental resources.
It is estimated that there are 110 million land mines in the ground right now across more than 60 countries. An equal amount is in stockpiles waiting to be planted or destroyed.
According to the International Campaign to Ban Landmines network, more than 4,200 people, of whom 42 per cent are children, have been falling victim to landmines and explosive remnants of war (ERW) annually in many of the countries affected by war or in post-conflict situations around the world.
Mines kill or maim more than 5,000 people annually.
–IANS
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