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Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons

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Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration

Series

1998

Missed mine

Articles 1 - 13 of 13

Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

Ddasaccident268, Hd-Aid Nov 1998

Ddasaccident268, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

"There are clear hints that he entered the uncleared area to a length of 5.3m along the tape of the left hand side. He entered also the area where should be the next lane. The distance from the left marking (tape) to the accident place is 2.15m. The accident place could not be reached by detector from the last marked safe place in the clearance lane as well as from the cleared area. After the explosion the legs of the injured person were laying in the uncleared area. His right neighbour cleared the area around the body to have access …


Ddasaccident015, Hd-Aid Nov 1998

Ddasaccident015, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The investigators visited the site on 17/18th November 1998. The accident occurred near the base of one of 34 pylons being cleared of defensive mines in a "Survey/UXO" task that started on 6th June 1998. Each tower was protected by "up to 45 mines". By the date of the accident the team had found and destroyed a total of 421 M969 mines around 17 of the pylons (8-10 around each "leg"). Work was under way at three pylons. The soil had "a high laterite" content so the clearance was being conducted by excavating using an enxada [a hoe like a …


Ddasaccident046, Hd-Aid Oct 1998

Ddasaccident046, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

On the day of the accident the deminers started work at 07:45. The victim was working without a partner [whose absence was unexplained]. After finding many pieces of metal, he ignored other detector signals, moved in front of his end-of-lane marker and knelt to remove the forks from a bicycle. He should have finished his "shift" at 08:15 but at 08:19 he was putting the scrap metal to one side when his heel activated a PPM-2 mine that was 40cm "behind" his end-of-lane marker. He suffered the "loss" of both lower limbs, received lacerations to both arms and was penetrated …


Ddasaccident213, Hd-Aid Aug 1998

Ddasaccident213, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

From the site examination, the investigators decided that the victim knelt on his base stick and initiated a mine while clearing undergrowth. The victim was found on his back with his feet towards a crater "about one meter away). The victim later made a brief statement that he was kneeling to prod when the accident occurred.


Ddasaccident051, Hd-Aid Aug 1998

Ddasaccident051, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

At 07:30, [or 08:15 elsewhere] having only cleared a meter, the victim noticed that the marking stakes ahead of him were out of alignment so went into the adjoining exploratory lane to reposition them. He pushed a stake onto a mine that was on the border of the lane. He suffered light injuries on both arms. A quantity of earth was thrown up into his eyes, the skin of his face was lacerated and his right hand became inflamed. He was not wearing a visor. No one else was injured.


Ddasaccident214, Hd-Aid Jul 1998

Ddasaccident214, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The team started work at 06:00 the victim's partner located a PMA-3 and the Team Leader "dealt with this". At 07:00 the victim began his shift. After five minutes he located a PMA-3 and the Team Leader "dealt with this". At approximately 07:15 the victim stepped on a PMA-3 and it exploded. The victim's statement says that he was "in a position half on a knee of ground" with his prod when the mine exploded.


Ddasaccident117, Hd-Aid May 1998

Ddasaccident117, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

As the officials were pulling the destroyed vehicle away over another area of road (cleared by a mine-dog group in 1997) one of its wheels detonated another AT device at the side of the road. Three people were injured and the vehicle was "further damaged".


Ddasaccident124, Hd-Aid May 1998

Ddasaccident124, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The victim was going to inspect the work of a breaching party when at 09:30 he stepped on a mine that the deminers had missed during clearance.


Ddasaccident217, Hd-Aid Apr 1998

Ddasaccident217, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

A Team Leader partially detonated a PMA-2 mine whilst deploying his team to their tasks. [Demining group] state that this mine was a re-laid mine. There is an equal amount of evidence to show that it could have been a mine that was missed on the original clearance of the lane.


Ddasaccident126, Hd-Aid Mar 1998

Ddasaccident126, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The accident area had been cleared in the previous year and various UXO had been found, including half-buried mortars and M77 grenades. A seasonal wind had buried them. The victim was walking over the cleared area at 17:15 from his "base camp" when he initiated the device. He "lost" both legs and suffered superficial injuries on his abdomen and hands.


Ddasaccident128, Hd-Aid Mar 1998

Ddasaccident128, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The victim said that the dogs checked a leash length (8m) and both dogs indicated a suspect point. The point was investigated and the fuse of a mortar was found. He was checking the second leash at a distance of 11 metres from the first when he stepped on a mine at 11:10.


Ddasaccident219, Hd-Aid Mar 1998

Ddasaccident219, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The investigators concluded that the mine had been missed during the earlier clearance tasks. Also that the training area was "extremely hostile" and easier sites could have been used. The investigators observed that the UN MAC Technical Guides "give no real guidance as to what alternative procedures should be undertaken" when detecting and prodding are inadequate in an area. In previous missed mine incidents in the area (involving two other commercial companies) the mines were also PMA-2s.


Ddasaccident131, Hd-Aid Jan 1998

Ddasaccident131, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The investigators determined that the victim was working on the ridge of a stony hill [photographs showed it was very steep and rocky]. He was given permission to leave the area to urinate and went into an area declared clear by a dog survey team. The investigators expressed the view that the area was unsuitable for dogs to clear because it was too steep for them to "sit" when indicating a signal.