A 65-year-old man was killed when his tractor hit an anti-tank mine in a rice field in Battambang province on Sunday afternoon, according to police.
Sao Soeun, a former soldier, was plowing a field in Ratanak Mondol district that had been fallow for decades when the accident occurred, said Khin Sovat, Treng commune deputy police chief.
“He was blown away about 10 meters from his tractor in the rice field,” Mr. Sovat said, adding that the farmer died instantly.
His body was found with broken legs and serious chest wounds. Mr. Sovat said the blast from the explosion left a crater 1 meter deep and 2.5 meters wide.
A total of 101 people were killed or injured by land mines and unexploded ordnance in the first half of this year compared to 65 casualties in the same period in 2013, according to the Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority.
This year’s six-month tally includes 14 deaths, 25 amputations and 62 other injuries.
