Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration Commons^™

Ddasaccident319, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The accident occurred in a mined area surrounding a former Frelimo/Zimbabwean soldier’s camp. The demining team was using a combination of manual and MDD techniques. At 07:50, victim No.1, the Team Leader, stepped on the mine and his right foot was amputated.

Ddasaccident257, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The investigators concluded that the victim was carrying out an excavation drill correctly. A high "gravel" content in the soil made excavation the correct drill to use. His blast apron was covered with mud, which was taken as proof that he was using water to soften the ground. The investigators thought it likely that the mine was unusually sensitive due to having spent "more than 20 years in the ground". They thought it possible that the spring firing mechanism was already partly depressed.

Ddasaccident261, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The victim was carrying out a normal excavation drill at 10:45 when a mine, "suspected R2M2…functioned" and he suffered a slight cut and some bruising to his left hand.

Ddasaccident120, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The victim was the one of a two-man team and was supposed to be "controlling" his partner who was in the clearance lane. The victim claimed that he had noticed an object "that he did not recognise" and prodded it with a piece of wire when it exploded. He sustained "lacerations and some light fragment damage to his hands… deep lacerations and damage to his left thumb and forefinger and lighter lacerations to his right middle finger".

Ddasaccident121, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The victim was a Team Leader whose duties included disarming R2M2 mines. At 06:27 the Victim was "neutralising" an R2M2 mine by removing its booster charge [unscrewed from below] when the mine detonated. Another Team Leader witnessed the event and reported that the Victim was wearing his protective equipment (visor and apron) properly.

Ddasaccident010, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The victim had been investigating a detector reading (at around 11:00) with his prodder when a mine [identified as an R2M2 by inference] detonated. He had bruised (sprained) his thumb. He had no other injury.

Ddasaccident011, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The demining group were clearing the Zimbabwe/Mozambique border minefields. The detector used was a Vallon with a folding handle. Deminers reported being poorly paid at the time and morale was low. The site management was intensely unpopular and seen as having little relevant background in humanitarian demining.

Ddasaccident575, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

Two army EOD specialists have been seriously injured, both suffering amputations. [This is the second of those victims. No details of how the accident occurred have been made available. It is inferred that he touched the submunition in order to move it because this was the common feature in other accidents with this munition at this time.]

Ddasaccident334, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The Victim was working in a breaching party making a lane to the top of the hill. He had been working for 20 minutes when he registered a detector reading. He then either moved to mark the reading and stood on the mine or marked the reading and stepped back, stepping on the mine.

Ddasaccident574, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The rest of us kept walking for another five minutes and then we heard a terrible detonation. Somehow, we knew what it was. The sound was different, much louder; sinister, if I can put it that way. We knew that it was [the Victim]. We ran back and the only thing we could see was one blood-stained boot hanging from a tree. And then we realised that he had been blown to pieces. We had to pick each of the pieces up by ourselves; there was nobody else who could do it. The only part of his body that kept …

Ddasaccident208, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

At 16:10 the victim changed roles with his partner and began work. His partner withdrew 30 metres. His partner saw him work with the Schiebel An 19/2 detector, put it down and kneel to prod. Then he put the prodder aside. About 30 seconds later, at 16:20 [ten minutes before work was to stop at 16:30], the victim initiated a PROM-1 mine which "appears to have exploded directly next to his head and chest". He had not told his partner that he had found a mine.

To Walk The Earth In Safety 1st Edition (Fy1998), Us Dos Pm/Wra

Global CWD Repository

To Walk the Earth in Safety. The United States Commitment to Humanitarian Demining informs the reader about the U.S. commitment to rid the world by the year 2010 of anti-personnel landmines (APL) which pose a threat to civilians. The most recent U.S. Government survey identified 93 countries affected with either an APL, or an unexploded ordnance (UXO) problem, or both. Although the estimates regarding the number of mines implanted in each country vary widely among sources, the U.S. estimate of APL infestation is approximately 60-70 million worldwide. This report covers FY1998.

Ddasaccident155, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

Both reports agreed that the victim had located a signal with a Vallon detector and was investigating it with his prodder when the mine detonated at 08:05. The victim walked unaided to the base line where he was treated first by the team medic and then by the site doctor.

Ddasaccident186, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The report stated that at the time of the accident there were three team leaders and the driver in the cab and an unspecified number of deminers in the back. On arriving at the site the driver inquired about the mines and subsequently pressed the top of one as it was being held by a Team Leader, making the detonator explode. The victim sustained an injury to the flesh of the mid-finger of his right hand. [However, the victim was the driver and as the blast emanated from the bottom of the mine it seems likely that he held it …

Ddasaccident209, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The team arrived in the area at 10:45. The man supposed to guide them did not arrive, but another person substituted. They drove along an unsurfaced track, then parked and walked on until they could see the remaining minefield marking of a previously cleared area on the other side of the track. They had walked about 15m off the track towards the suspect area before the victim (who was the Team Leader and third in line) stepped on a mine.

Displaced Children And Orphans Fund And War Victims Fund Activities In Sri Lanka, Usaid-Leahy

Global CWD Repository

The Displaced Children and Orphans Fund (DCOF),which is administered by the Office of Health and Nutrition of the Bureau for Global Programs, Field Support and Research, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), is a special fund within the agency that provides assistance for special groups of vulnerable children. It operates under its own strategic objective which is “the protection, well-being and development of war-affected children, unaccompanied minors and orphans.” The Leahy War Victims Fund (LWVF), initiated in 1988 by Senator Patrick J. Leahy, operates similarly to the DCOF. Its stated objective is “The functional reintegration of war victims into civil …

Evaluation Of The Actions Of Handicap International In Mozambique Under The Financing Of The European Commission, Finnconsult

Global CWD Repository

The purpose of this evaluation was to carry out an overall analysis of the impact of the financed actions and the performance of Handicap International in Mozambique in order to assure better quality of similar actions for future beneficiaries with respect to identification, design, relevance, efficiency, effectiveness and sustainability of these actions. Close attention was to be paid to the evolution of the political and socio-economic context in Mozambique, as well as the evolution of the policies and approaches of various actors involved in the sector. Meeting with the direct beneficiaries was emphasised and the use of participatory methods strongly …

Evaluation Of The Vietnam Veterans Of America Foundation Orthotics Training Project For Vietnam, Usaid-Leahy

Global CWD Repository

VVAF has done a good job of establishing itself in the health care community in Vietnam. The deficiencies mentioned in this evaluation primarily pertain to the lack of supervision and training of orthotic technicians and physicians. VVAF is aware of the need to undertake a major overhaul of its Vietnam project in order to meet training obligations to the National Institute of Pediatrics and Bach Mai Hospitals. A focused effort should be undertaken over the next two years to enable Vietnamese personnel to develop the technical skills and leadership necessary to continue orthotic services when this grant ends.

Itf Enhancing Human Security Annual Report 1999, Itf-Enhancy Human Security

Global CWD Repository

ITF Annual Report 1999

Developing And Integrating A Lessons Learned Methodology For Humanitarian Mine Action, Cisr

Global CWD Repository

The demand for a centralized lessons learned database has made it clear that there is value in consolidating the experience derived from the numerous de-mining missions by a variety of teams in a variety of countries. Consequently, the James Madison University Mine Action Information Center developed a methodology for collecting, validating, and distributing lessons-learned within the mine action community.

In order to develop this lessons-learned system, individuals involved in the wide spectrum of activities (victim assistance, mine clearance, survey, mine awareness, etc.) and belonging to the myriad agencies (NGOs, military demining, United Nations, MACs, etc.) related to the field of …

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.