Landmine blast kills 6
2003-12-18 15:27
Luanda - A landmine explosion killed six Angolan staff members of the international humanitarian organisation Care, the group said on Thursday.
The December 12 explosion occurred in the central province of Bie, where the men were contracted by the aid group to work for a farmers' association training program, Care spokesperson Lynn Heinisch said from Johannesburg.
The victims were riding in a tractor and trailer which drove over a landmine.
Five of them, Jose Kuvenge, Elias Bambi Samaria, Joao Chissapa, Adelino Kanguende and Nicolau Tomas, died on the spot, Care said in a statement on Wednesday. A sixth employee, Antonio Salvador, died in hospital on Tuesday after losing a limb in the accident.
The tractor driver, Paulino Quintas, suffered head injuries, but was listed in good condition on Thursday.
"We are deeply saddened by this loss of life, but at the same time we reaffirm our commitment to the people of Angola," Care President and Chief Executive Peter Bell said in the statement. "It is tragedies such as these that highlight the importance of helping people overcome the aftermath of violent conflict and build a better future."
Angola is one of the most heavily mined countries in the world, a legacy of more than two decades of civil war, which ended last year. Sixty-nine people were killed and 218 injured here last year by landmines and unexploded ordnance, according to the International Campaign to Ban Landmines.
Care, which fights poverty in more than 60 countries, urged all nations to sign a 1997 treaty banning the use, production, stockpiling and transfer of anti-personnel landmines.
The treaty has been ratified by 141 countries, including Angola, and signed by nine others. Forty-four countries, including the United States, have not joined the treaty.
- SAPA