Two toddlers die from old grenade in Cambodia
Two toddlers die from old grenade in Cambodia
in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, there was a tragic incident on Saturday: a 25 -year -old, non -detonated grenade killed two relatives, a two -year girl and a two -year -old boy, in the rural region in the northwestern part of Cambodia, the authorities reported.
cause of the accident and context
The incident occurred in the Svay Leu District of the province of Siem Reap, an area that was characterized by violent battles between the soldiers of the Cambodian government and the communist guerrilla fighters of the Red Khmer in the 1980s and 1990s. This group was pushed out of power in 1979.
The affected children
Muo Lisa and her male cousin Thum Yen lived in neighboring houses in the remote village of Kranhuong. While her parents were busy with agricultural work, the two toddlers apparently discovered the non -detonated ammunition, which then exploded. Experts from the Cambodian mining center (CMAC) subsequently found on the basis of ruins that it was a grenade -powered rocket.
The dangers of old ammunition
Non -detonated, old ammunition residues are particularly dangerous because their explosive material becomes unstable over time. "Her parents settled on a former battlefield and were not aware that Landminen or not detonated ammunition were near her houses," said Heng Ratana, General Director of CMAC. "It is tragic because they were too young and shouldn't have died in this way."
The extent of the problem
It is said that between 1970 and 1998 between 4 million and 6 million country mines and other non -detonated ammunitions in Cambodia remained in Cambodia during the decades of conflicts. Since the end of the fights, almost 20,000 people have been killed and around 45,000 injured by the remains of war explosions. Although the number of victims has decreased over time - there were 49 deaths last year - the problem remains.continued threat and efforts to clear the mining
"The war is completely over and there has been peace for more than 25 years, but the blood of the Cambodian people continues to flow due to the remains of landmines and ammunition," said Heng Ratana on his Facebook page.
international support and challenges
Kambodcha's min clearer are among the most experienced in the world, and in the past ten years, several thousand have been sent by them under the protection of the UN to Africa and the Middle East. At the beginning of this month, Cambodia's mining efforts caused a sensation when the US aid in eight provinces were discontinued by President Donald Trump due to the 90-day suspension of external aid. Heng Ratana said on Thursday that Washington had given an exemption that made it possible to let the help of $ 6.36 million, which range from March 2022 to November 2025.