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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences
Ddasaccident159, Hd-Aid
Ddasaccident159, Hd-Aid
Global CWD Repository
At the time of the accident, Victim No.1 was excavating a detector reading. Victim No.2 was the detector man and had paused on his return to the safe area because he felt unwell and so had not left the vicinity when the mine initiated. Victim No.1 was excavating with a "trowel" [a locally made excavating tool] (after prodding) when (at 10:40) he initiated a mine. He had been a deminer for 13 months.
Ddasaccident165, Hd-Aid
Ddasaccident165, Hd-Aid
Global CWD Repository
On the morning of the accident the victim was working as a prodder man on an upward incline of 30o. The detector man got a reading, marked it and called to the victim to investigate. As the victim was excavating he saw a white metal tube about the size of a finger but did not recognise what it was. He continued to prod around it and he initiated the mine with the tip of his prodder
Ddasaccident160, Hd-Aid
Ddasaccident160, Hd-Aid
Global CWD Repository
The working area was on the Cambodian mid-level (as opposed to flood plain and mountainous area) so there was a lot of bamboo. The victim was the prodder man and was called by his partner to investigate the source of a detector reading near some bamboo. The victim knelt on the ground and prodded the area for a short time. At 11:05 he initiated a mine and fell back into the cleared area.
Ddasaccident253, Hd-Aid
Ddasaccident253, Hd-Aid
Global CWD Repository
The investigators determined that the victim was investigating a detector reading wearing his helmet and in a squatting position as he and his partner cleared an uphill breach. He was prodding with his bayonet when the mine detonated at 10:45. The investigators decided that "he was not wearing his helmet properly".
Ddasaccident251, Hd-Aid
Ddasaccident251, Hd-Aid
Global CWD Repository
The investigators determined that the victim and his partner were clearing a lane into the edge of a canal that was partly filled by a collapsed wall. There was a sheet of metal partly buried in the canal so the victim started to clear the earth away from it with a pick "layer by layer". At 08:45 he detonated a mine with the pick and sustained injuries to his eyes and hands.
Ddasaccident161, Hd-Aid
Ddasaccident161, Hd-Aid
Global CWD Repository
The victim said that he did not find anything at the first marker, and then failed to find anything at the second marker with his prodder. He called his partner to check with the detector again and the reading was confirmed. He then started excavating with his "trowel" when the mine exploded. He estimated that the mine was buried to a depth of 4cm, but did not see it prior to the explosion.
Ddasaccident162, Hd-Aid
Ddasaccident162, Hd-Aid
Global CWD Repository
The victim stated that he was prodding to a depth of about 8cm and did not feel the mine before it exploded. He said that normally when the ground was very wet they stopped operations because it was not comfortable to lie down. He maintained that he had been lying on his plastic sheet but was still getting wet and the ground conditions were not safe to work in.
Ddasaccident250, Hd-Aid
Ddasaccident250, Hd-Aid
Global CWD Repository
Two dogs were run over the accident site and both signalled positively. The victim started searching with a detector where they had indicated and he got a reading. He marked the spot and started to prod in a "prone" position. As he approached the second marker he paused to remove the loosened earth with his hands. [It is not clear whether he raised himself up to do this.] As he removed the soil a device exploded, amputating his thumb and two fingers on his right hand. The victim stood up after the accident.
Ddasaccident249, Hd-Aid
Ddasaccident249, Hd-Aid
Global CWD Repository
The investigators determined that he detected a reading and put his helmet on to prod. He could find nothing but the detector still signalled so he prodded again and found a fragment. The detector still signalled and he was prodding for the third time when the mine detonated at 08:15. He received "minor injuries", his visor was damaged and his bayonet lost. The victim walked unaided to the safe area.
Ddasaccident048, Hd-Aid
Ddasaccident048, Hd-Aid
Global CWD Repository
At 11:25 The victim initiated a PPM-2 mine and was blown backwards onto his detector. At 11:26 the victim was given first aid and was conscious. He had suffered "facial injury and lacerations to right hand". One minute later he was moved to the administration area where he was treated for "injuries to right hand, right knee" and his face was bandaged. The victim was evacuated by Land Rover at 11:40 and arrived at Huambo Hospital at 12:30. On arrival the escort was presented with a list of medical supplies to buy.
Ddasaccident248, Hd-Aid
Ddasaccident248, Hd-Aid
Global CWD Repository
The investigators determined that the victim got a detector reading and marked it, then put on his helmet and started to prod. He struck the fuse of a grenade with his bayonet and heard a "fuse detonation sound" [click of a delay mechanism arming] so was scared. He stood up.
Ddasaccident163, Hd-Aid
Ddasaccident163, Hd-Aid
Global CWD Repository
Signed by an expatriate specialist and dated 5th September 1998, the report stated that demining had started at the site on 10th June 1998 and fourteen Type 69s and two PMNs had been recovered. The victim had worked for 40 minutes on the morning of the accident and in that time had cleared 4m and located and excavated four metal fragments. He was prodding to investigate another signal from his "Ebinger 420H" when at 07:50 he detonated a PMN.
Ddasaccident246, Hd-Aid
Ddasaccident246, Hd-Aid
Global CWD Repository
The investigators decided that the victim was exposing a detector reading and found several tin-cans. He continued prodding but became tired so changed hands and prodded with his left hand. A mine detonated at 10:00. The victim suffered minor right-hand injury and dust in his eyes. He was treated on site and taken to the ICRC hospital in Kandahar.
Ddasaccident244, Hd-Aid
Ddasaccident244, Hd-Aid
Global CWD Repository
The investigators found that the victim was investigating a detector reading in a squatting position and using a pick. He had used two markers. He "finished one layer" [presumably slicing layers from the ground] and rechecked with the detector. The reading was still there so he started excavating again without placing any markers. He hit a mine at 07:45.
Ddasaccident241, Hd-Aid
Ddasaccident241, Hd-Aid
Global CWD Repository
The investigators decided that the victim was working with a detector when he got a signal from a fragment that was visible, half buried. He squatted to remove it with his bayonet but as he did so initiated a mine that was under the fragment. His visor "was not properly down" and he failed to centre the reading point and approach it at the angle dictated by the SOPs. The victim suffered injuries to his hands and his face, the latter including a lacerated lip and damaged teeth. The victim walked to the safe area.
Ddasaccident242, Hd-Aid
Ddasaccident242, Hd-Aid
Global CWD Repository
The investigators decided that the victim was working with a detector beside a stream when he got a signal. He marked it with two marks, one at the centre and one 15cm behind it, then he squatted to prod with his bayonet. He detonated a mine and received injuries to his face and chest.
Ddasaccident239, Hd-Aid
Ddasaccident239, Hd-Aid
Global CWD Repository
The investigators determined that the ditch had contained many mines thought to have been brought into it by heavy rains in the past. The victim found a detector reading. He put on his helmet and started to prod in a squatting position. He detonated the mine with his bayonet at 09:15 (started work at 06:00).
Ddasaccident115, Hd-Aid
Ddasaccident115, Hd-Aid
Global CWD Repository
A preliminary accident report from the demining group simply recorded that "while prodding he was injured due to a PMN mine explosion". The victim suffered an amputated thumb with other severe hand injuries, also minor arm, legs, chest, and face injuries.
Ddasaccident215, Hd-Aid
Ddasaccident215, Hd-Aid
Global CWD Repository
The victim's partner found two PMA-3 mines and the Team Leader disarmed them and put them in a "mine storage area". The victim took over demining and after 4 minutes detonated a mine. He was squatting or kneeling and prodding at the time. He remained conscious but he had suffered damage to his eyes "due mostly to dirt coming up under his visor". He was evacuated to hospital "immediately", arriving after 18 minutes.
Ddasaccident238, Hd-Aid
Ddasaccident238, Hd-Aid
Global CWD Repository
Victim No.1 found two PMN-2 mines while excavating and they were destroyed. At about 08:45 he paused to remove loose soil and removed his helmet and visor. He used a shovel to remove the loose soil and detonated a mine. As a "result he got serious injuries on his both eyes, face". His Section Leader was not maintaining the correct safety distance (4m away) and was also injured.
Ddasaccident118, Hd-Aid
Ddasaccident118, Hd-Aid
Global CWD Repository
The victim was working normally and got a reading from his detector which the investigators believe must have been from a fragment beyond the mine (they considered the mine undetectable with a Schiebel AN/19 detector). He marked the reading and while prodding towards it detonated the mine at 08:15. The victim received "superficial injuries on his right hand, forearm, fingers and neck".
Ddasaccident122, Hd-Aid
Ddasaccident122, Hd-Aid
Global CWD Repository
No independent accident report was available in July 1998. A preliminary accident report from the demining group recorded that a deminer had an injury while prodding. No other details were made available.
Ddasaccident123, Hd-Aid
Ddasaccident123, Hd-Aid
Global CWD Repository
The investigators determined that the victim was working normally and registered a detector reading, so marked the spot and began prodding towards it. Before he reached the marked point an undetected mine detonated at 11:15. They found that he was working in a squatting position without wearing his helmet. They also found that he "ignored" correct prodding procedure and so applied pressure directly onto the pressure plate of the mine.
Ddasaccident018, Hd-Aid
Ddasaccident018, Hd-Aid
Global CWD Repository
It was while excavating with a "demining trowel" [see Analysis] at 08:30 that he detonated an anti-personnel mine, leaving him with "slight" injuries to his left hand and right thigh (it is presumed that the latter was caused by the handle of the "trowel"). The victim was blown onto his back and the trowel was found much further away. The victim was approximately 0.8m from the mine, and the crater was taken to indicate that it was buried to a depth of about 20cm.
Ddasaccident021, Hd-Aid
Ddasaccident021, Hd-Aid
Global CWD Repository
The victim was working as a deminer in a lane where “mechanical demining” had taken place. He detonated a PMN-2 mine with his “demining tool”.
Ddasaccident127, Hd-Aid
Ddasaccident127, Hd-Aid
Global CWD Repository
The investigators determined that the deminer was "excavating" to investigate a detector reading when the accident occurred. He was using a shovel to do so. Investigators were unable to visit the accident site [due to deminer mobility and seasonal redeployment], so the report relied on interviews and written statements.
Ddasaccident127, Hd-Aid
Ddasaccident127, Hd-Aid
Global CWD Repository
The investigators determined that the deminer was "excavating" to investigate a detector reading when the accident occurred. He was using a shovel to do so. Investigators were unable to visit the accident site [due to deminer mobility and seasonal redeployment], so the report relied on interviews and written statements.
Ddasaccident164, Hd-Aid
Ddasaccident164, Hd-Aid
Global CWD Repository
The mined area was a road that linked Malay with National Route 5. The victim was working as a prodder man in one of the ditches that ran along both sides of the road. He was squatting at the bottom and working his way up the side. The ground had a very hard crust to a depth of 2cm and was soft underneath. The victim's partner marked a reading and then moved back to allow the victim to investigate. Because the ground was hard, the victim used a "trowel" to break up the surface, but initiated the mine.
Ddasaccident129, Hd-Aid
Ddasaccident129, Hd-Aid
Global CWD Repository
This accident involved a “P2MK2” minimum metal blast mine. [P2MK1 and P2MK2 mines are frequently given the same last number.] A letter explaining why it was not identified at the time was found on file in September 1999 - stating that the same mine occurred in two accidents at the site and that survey had not thrown up the presence of minimum metal mines.
Ddasaccident240, Hd-Aid
Ddasaccident240, Hd-Aid
Global CWD Repository
The investigators determined that the victim was working in a "breaching lane" when he got a detector reading. He marked the point and started to prod. He found some old food tins and continued prodding. His right hand became tired so he moved his bayonet to his left hand just before the mine went off at 08:40. The victim lost his left eye, two fingers of his left hand and had minor injuries to his right hand and body.