Landmine Blast Kills 1, Injures Another

Explosion of a landmine in the city of Sarpol-e Zahab in Kermanshah Province claimed the life of a person and injured another on Sunday evening.

Minutes after the accident, rescue teams and police forces were dispatched to the site to respond to the situation, provincial police Chief Colonel Mohammadreza Yari told IRNA. Sarpol-e Zahab is located in the western part of the province, 48 km from the Iran-Iraq border.

A large number of landmines were planted by Iraqi army forces in the 1980s during the war against Iran. Khuzestan is reportedly the most mined area, followed by Kermanshah and Ilam.

Despite efforts by Iranian demining teams, dozens of people are still being maimed or killed along the western borders every year.

The Iranian Army estimates that 1.5 million to 1.8 million hectares are still littered with Iraqi landmines, which have severely restricted agricultural production in the five provinces along the Iraqi border.