Official: Over 330 Azerbaijanis suffer from landmines after 44-day war

Chairman of the Azerbaijani Mine Action Agency (ANAMA) Vugar Suleymanov has said that 338 people became victims of mines and other explosive ordnance in Azerbaijan from November 10, 2020, up till now, 65 people of whom died and 273 were wounded.

Suleymanov made these remarks at the international forum “Healthy environment and mine-free life to achieve sustainable development goals”, organised by the Azerbaijani Agency for State Support to Non-Governmental Organisations, Report informs.

“Mines and explosive ammunition not only pose a direct threat to human life and health, but also cause damage to the environment and ecosystem. According to preliminary estimates, about 1.5 million mines were planted in the Azerbaijani territories liberated from occupation, about 9,000 square metres of territory are full of mines,” he noted.

He added that as a result of demining operations carried out from November 2020 up till now, a total of 114,400.9 hectares of territory have been cleared of mines and explosive ordnance.

“In total, 110,347 mines and other explosive ordnance, including 30,795 anti-personnel mines, 18,582 anti-tank mines and 60,970 unexploded ordnance, were revealed and defused,” the chairman noted.