DAMASCUS (Xinhua) – Landmine explosions in Syria have killed 55 people since the beginning of 2023, a war monitor has reported.
According to the so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the death toll includes two women and 18 children killed by the explosions of landmines that were undiscovered in previously militant-held areas or battle zones.
The death toll also includes five people who were killed on Thursday in the Salamiyeh area in the central province of Hama, it added.
Also, 118 people, including 28 children and four women, were wounded by the landmine explosions during the same period, said the UK-based watchdog group.
The official news agency SANA reported that the five victims were truffle collectors and were looking for the pricey fungus when a landmine left by the Daesh terrorists exploded.
Many of the landmine victims were farmers or workers collecting truffles in the desert region, who have become a target for Daesh terrorists.
In February, Daesh killed 64 truffle collectors in the desert region of eastern Syria.
Explosives left in fields, along roads or even in buildings by militant groups have killed hundreds of civilians and wounded thousands more, according to the Observatory.
Across Syria, more than 10 million people live in areas contaminated by explosive hazards, according to the United Nations.