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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.
Ddasaccident320, Hd-Aid
Ddasaccident320, Hd-Aid
Global CWD Repository
A Trainee Supervisor was trying to explain the operation of the Type-72a mine to some of his colleagues in a “self initiated” lecture. The Trainee Supervisor “tried to force open the mine whilst explaining the function mechanism” and “initiated the detonator”, suffering a minor injury to one finger.
Ddasaccident268, Hd-Aid
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
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 …
Ddasaccident016, Hd-Aid
Ddasaccident016, Hd-Aid
Global CWD Repository
The nurse described this accident saying that a deminer was leaning forward to cut vegetation and put his foot on a mine. He suffered "traumatic chest injuries" when the front of his foot was driven into his chest. He died in the field before evacuation. The nurse claimed that an autopsy report was with the Country MAC [no one there knew of it] and that the mine was a Gyata-64 (AP blast, 210g TNT). Apparently the accident occurred when the victim was following a “mine-clearance machine” [unspecified].
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".
Ddasaccident046, Hd-Aid
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 …
Ddasaccident210, Hd-Aid
Ddasaccident210, Hd-Aid
Global CWD Repository
The demining group were ready to start work at 08:40 but bad weather prevented work until 11:30 when the teams deployed. The two victims left the rest area but "no witness was able to provide a clear indication of the[ir] intentions". It was thought likely that they had gone to carry out a reconnaissance of the area where new grids would be made for the dog runs. They appear to have walked directly to the accident site, stepped deliberately over the edge of lane markings and initiated the mine. Neither victim was wearing protective clothing.
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.
Ddasaccident022, Hd-Aid
Ddasaccident022, Hd-Aid
Global CWD Repository
The accident occurred during the manual clearance phase. Victim No.1 was clearing a lane and pulled a trip wire with his detector head, so initiating an OZM-4. The detonation "blew off both upper and lower limbs" and he suffered fragment wounds to his head and chest, killing him instantly. Victim No.2 was hit in the shoulder by a fragment.
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.
Ddasaccident004, Hd-Aid
Ddasaccident004, Hd-Aid
Global CWD Repository
At 09.15 three deminers were injured when a mine detonated while being handled outside the mined area. Victim No.1 suffered severe hand and minor foot injuries. Victim No.2 suffered minor body and eye injures, and a hearing loss. Victim No.3 suffered a minor facial injury. The injured were taken by road (the report says that it would have taken too long to get official clearance for air evacuation) to Maputo Central hospital by 10:15. Victim No.1 was flown to Zimbabwe at an unspecified time for “follow-up treatment”.
Ddasaccident047, Hd-Aid
Ddasaccident047, Hd-Aid
Global CWD Repository
The Technical Advisor heard the explosion and drove towards it. He saw the Survey Officer come out of the bush with the victim over on his shoulders. The victim had lost his left foot. The Technical Advisor administered first aid while the Survey Officer tried to make radio contact with the group's Kuito office. He did not succeed so used a Motorola Handheld radio to speak to another NGO's demining operation in Cunhinga. The team then drove towards Cunhinga and were met by a vehicle from the other group carrying their paramedic. Together with the paramedic the team drove to …
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.
Ddasaccident017, Hd-Aid
Ddasaccident017, Hd-Aid
Global CWD Repository
At the time of the accident the victim had just changed roles with his partner so it is not sure which of them failed to locate the mine. He was about 15 metres from the pylon when at 11:57 there was a detonation. The victim's leg was torn off at "boot level". After the accident and a positive identification of the victim, the medic gave first aid. At 12:11 the victim was taken to Maputo Central Hospital, arriving at 13:30.
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.
Ddasaccident247, Hd-Aid
Ddasaccident247, Hd-Aid
Global CWD Repository
The investigators reported that the victim was working normally and looking for tripwires. He found a tripwire and wanted to find whether it was connected to a mine "so he pulled it with his hand and the mine went off". He received injuries to his right armpit, both thighs and suffered hearing loss in his left ear.
Ddasaccident211, Hd-Aid
Ddasaccident211, Hd-Aid
Global CWD Repository
The accident report did not give details of what happened in the incident, but from other documents (including the statement of the victim's partner who was not available to be interviewed by the investigators during their site visit) it seems that the deminers started work at 06:10 and at 06:40 the victim took over clearance. The exchange of duty took place close to the accident site, possibly because the marking system was inadequate and the victim's partner had to explain where he had finished work. The metal contamination along the verge caused by litter was such that the deminers found …
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.
Ddasaccident245, Hd-Aid
Ddasaccident245, Hd-Aid
Global CWD Repository
On the day of the accident the victim was working in a bushy area when at 09:00 he pulled a bush out of the way. In doing so he pulled a tripwire and initiated a POMZ. He suffered hand and chest injuries, and hearing loss. The victim was treated at the site, then taken to the ICRC hospital in Ghazni for treatment.
Ddasaccident212, Hd-Aid
Ddasaccident212, Hd-Aid
Global CWD Repository
At 08:30 the team started work. The victim was clearing the central lane of three lanes 25 metres from each other. Vegetation was sparse where he was working and surface munitions or mines could have been easily seen. The victim had made three excavations prior to the accident but they were not of a size to indicate that anything had been found. At 09:00 an explosion occurred and the victim was seriously injured. He was found lying on his face with half of his end-of-lane marker stick under him and half behind him. The medic attended him "and removed his …
Ddasaccident213, Hd-Aid
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.
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.
Ddasaccident243, Hd-Aid
Ddasaccident243, Hd-Aid
Global CWD Repository
The investigators determined that at around 11:00 the Section Leader instructed the deminers to pack up and rest until the end of the day. While they were resting Victim No.1 went into the uncleared area for no known reason. When he was 15m into the mined area he noticed a tripwire and "started wrapping it into the stick of a POMZ". A POMZ detonated at 11:30.