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2nd Meeting Of The States Parties To The Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention (2000), Apmbc

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Geneva, 11-15 September 2000

SECOND MEETING OF THE STATES PARTIES TO THE CONVENTION ON THE PROHIBITION OF THE USE, STOCKPILING, PRODUCTION AND TRANSFER OF ANTI-PERSONNEL MINES AND ON THEIR DESTRUCTION

Ddasaccident341, Hd-Aid

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[The Victim] was the first one to work in the critical working lane, while supported by deminer No 2. At 08.30 explosion was heard and all the works stopped within all three teams.

Ddasaccident273, Hd-Aid

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Work began at the site at 08:00. At 09:50 a deminer reported having found a PMA-3 while prodding [no mention of detectors was made]. The victim ordered the deminers out of the field and went to "neutralise" the mine. He removed the UPMAH initiator from the mine and noticed that is was "slightly damaged". He carried the mine body in his right hand and the initiator in his left hand as he walked out of the mined area. At 10.05 the detonator in the initiator exploded in his hand.

Ddasaccident342, Hd-Aid

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Deminer in the working lane was searching the area using his prodder. When he finalised his search and finished the working lane, he started to collect the mine tape from the left side of the lane, walking the ”cleared” working lane. That is where he activated with his left foot PMA-3 mine by stepping on it. PMA-3 mine was buried.

Ddasaccident343, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

Their movements were such that one walked the middle of the tunnel in front of the other who lightened the way, while one was moving closer to the left side wall into the direction of movement – leaving out. At about 22.5 metre from the entrance [a fisherman] activated a mine (most probably a PROM-1) whose explosive blast threw him badly so that his head was found 2 metres from the crater from where the mine detonated, with his legs in the direction of the exit.

Ddasaccident301, Hd-Aid

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At 10:50 on 11 Aug 2000, [the victim – name withheld by group manager] detonated a mine whilst conducting clearance in the Cordon Sanitaire Minefield at UTM 0380797 8194039 in Mukumbura Communal lands.

Ddasaccident272, Hd-Aid

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The accident occurred at the start of the working day when the victim began working in the same lane as he had been working in on the previous day. Work started at 08:00 and he was "squatting on his knees" and prodding at 08:20 when he detonated a PMA-3 mine.

Ddasaccident300, Hd-Aid

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The deminer identified the reading within the confirmed row of mines. The deminer acted on this reading using excavation procedures. The mines destroyed and marked within the first row were R2M2. The predominate mine in this area of the Cordon is R2M2. The deminer stated he was excavating a reading when the mine detonated. There was physical evidence of excavation and water being used.

Ddasaccident014, Hd-Aid

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The group operated using a one-man drill and a two-man team with the resting deminers in a designated rest-area. Working time varied between 30 minutes and an hour depending on "the weather conditions". The last MACC QA visit had been seven days before. [There was no mention of metal-detectors in the report, so it is presumed that a "sapping drill was being used.]

Ddasaccident363, Hd-Aid

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It was around 15:30 that [Victim No.8], one of the drivers of the two vehicles travelling together and who had escaped alive from the scene, informed the office that their vehicles were looted, the staff were killed, and the vehicles and some staff were burnt.

Ddasaccident299, Hd-Aid

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At 07:50 on 04 Aug 2000, Deminer [name withheld by demining group] detonated a mine whilst conducting clearance in the Ploughshare Minefield at UTM 0331525 8209341.

Ddasaccident271, Hd-Aid

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At 11:35 Victim No.1 moved to edge of the cleared area to look at the mine he had seen and trod on a PMA-3 inside the area marked as cleared. "The victim walked/ran by himself to a safe area" where other deminers made him lie down and calmed him. The medics arrived and Victim No.1 was carried to the ambulance. He left for the Argentine KFOR hospital at 11:45 and arrived as 12:10. He was conscious at all times. The hospital released him "Later in the afternoon".

Ddasaccident356, Hd-Aid

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One deminer injured severely by V-69 AP bounding fragmentation mine at 08:02 hrs at Chamy Trshakan minefield in Penjwen district.

Ddasaccident313, Hd-Aid

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On 7th July 2000, the victim was continuing his clearance along the wire. The victim started work in the new lane and removed a metal bracket and piece of the barbed-wire. He then did a further two check sweeps with his detector before starting excavation with his enxada (digging tool, [hoe]). On the 3rd scrape (moving from left to right) an unplanned explosion occurred which threw the victim directly backwards into the safe area behind.

Ddasaccident436, Hd-Aid

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In this case the victim was a “foreigner” from Zimbabwe working as a “deminer” when a PROM-1 was initiated and he was killed.

Ddasaccident339, Hd-Aid

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The Victim marked a detector reading and when he investigated it, found some fragments. He put the detector aside and moved to collect stones to construct a Turning Point and mark the cleared survey lane. While walking in the survey lane (within the safety margin or “overlap”) he stepped on a PMN mine.

To Walk The Earth In Safety 2nd Edition (Fy1999), Us Dos Pm/Wra

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The United States first became involved in humanitarian demining in 1988 when it sent a team to assess the landmine situation in Afghanistan. Five years later, U.S. demining-related programs were underway in Afghanistan and in seven other countries. By the end of 2000, we will have provided more than $400 million to 36 countries for various humanitarian demining efforts such as deminer training,mine awareness, mine clearance, and orthopedic assistance to, and socioeconomic reintegration programs for, landmine accident survivors and their families. More than $100 million of that amount will be spent in Fiscal Year 2000, the largest commitment of any …

Ddasaccident344, Hd-Aid

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[Victim No.2] and [Victim No.1] marked the place with a red-top picket 1.2m high (to be found later in the vicinity of the accident spot) and asked [the Local witness] to help them identify the mine. [The Local witness] refused and went to [RS MAC Ops Officer No.2], who handled VALLON, trying to locate where other mines are. 2-3 minutes after he left the site of located mine, there was an explosion at the crossing of trenches.

Ddasaccident308, Hd-Aid

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The victim was clearing away dirt from two detector readings. At about 10:05, during the transfer of spoil from the excavations to a bucket behind him, the victim dropped soil from the trowel. The soil landed in a non-cleared area and detonated a Type-72 anti-personnel blast mine.

Ddasaccident354, Hd-Aid

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The injured deminer was overzealous in the use of his hand prodding drills and procedures, because he might have thought that the VS-50 mine did not contain any detonators the same as the majority of other VS-50 mines found in this minefield. I conclude that the injured deminer was kneeling right over the mine when the mine exploded or he failed to wear his protective equipment, especially his helmet and visor, correctly as per Northern Iraq Standard Operating Procedures.

Ddasaccident314, Hd-Aid

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On 7th June 2000 the victim completed 5m of clearance which were checked by the Team Supervisor. The victim then went on to clear a further 1.3m before indicating that he had located a mine. The mine was lying on its side 30cm from the leg of the tower. The Team Supervisor examined the mine before tasking the Trainee Supervisor to move the mine to the demolition pit, during the 12:50-13:00 break period. The Team Supervisor observed the victim restarting excavation then began walking away from the tower. When the Team Supervisor was 17m away, an unplanned explosion occurred.

Ddasaccident269, Hd-Aid

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At 10:20 The victim was using a "Schonstedt GA 72-cd Locator in his "clearance area" and got a signal. He moved the grass from the area and "noticed a silver coloured metallic object visible on the surface". He was moving a stone to investigate this "suspected part of a BLU 97" when at 10:20 it detonated. He suffered injury to the index finger of his right hand. He was wearing his PPE according to SOPs. [The PPE was not described or photographed but would have included a visor and flak-jacket as required in that theatre.]

Ddasaccident274, Hd-Aid

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The accident occurred after the victim had just changed roles with his partner in the working lane. He used the detector and after a few minutes, he detected a sound and began to cut the grass lower. It was when he started to use the spade (trowel) that the detonation occurred. The deminer was not injured.

Ddasaccident267, Hd-Aid

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The victim was excavating at 11:08 when he initiated a PMA-3 [identified by inference] with his left foot. He received minor injuries to his left foot, right leg and both hands. The injuries were light enough to allow him to extract himself from the mined area to a "safe road" where he was met by the Section Commander and the two medics.

Ddasaccident297, Hd-Aid

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On 22 April 2000, the Deminer was conducting clearance activities in the CS [Cordon Sanitaire] along the first row mines. As he was working an R2M2 approximately 2m in front of him detonated without any external influences.

Ddasaccident433, Hd-Aid

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In this case the victims were working as “deminers” at a site defined as “N298 - Demining; between road D-1 & r.b. of Korana riv. K: 0 I: 3” when they “Stepped on a mine PROM, MF#1252”. One suffered “heavy body injuries”, the other two suffered “Light body injuries”. One of those who suffered what are classed as “light injuries suffered: “hand and both legs fracture, half foot cut off, uric bladder and intestine injury” from which one can infer what “light” means.

Ddasaccident435, Hd-Aid

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In this case the victims were working as “deminers” at a site defined as “N298 - Demining; between road D-1 & r.b. of Korana riv. K: 0 I: 3” when they “Stepped on a mine PROM, MF#1252”. One suffered “heavy body injuries”, the other two suffered “Light body injuries”.

Ddasaccident298, Hd-Aid

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At the time of the accident [the] deminer had identified a reading within a row of mines in the Cordon Sanitaire Minefield. Ground conditions were favourable with relatively level ground and not very hard but with small loose stones. The deminer was wearing full PPE including gloves in both hands for arm protection. After identifying a reading, the deminer pinpointed and started excavating. From his own statement, he had already located the mine and was further exposing it when it went off. He further states that a rock rolled back into the hole he was excavating and landed on a …

Ddasaccident307, Hd-Aid

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Because the area had been “verified”, and was therefore considered by all to be “safe”, the casualty walked straight out from the perimeter towards the indication box he was going to clear. Approximately 3.5 metres from his assigned work area he stepped on a V-69 bounding fragmentation mine.

Ddasaccident266, Hd-Aid

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Anxious to speed up progress, the victim decided to carry out a "reconnaissance". He checked a detector by passing it over his boot and in the air, then started to clear his way into the uncleared area ahead of the safe lane. He proceeded by checking a small area for each foot and stepping onto it if the detector did not signal. Having gone five metres in one direction, he could see that what he had thought was his target was not, and so turned the other way. His route traced a semi-circle. When he had passed in front of …