It is estimated that in Angola, there are 120 deaths per month due to landmines and one out of 334 people are amputees 1 . In Cambodia, there are an estimated 100 deaths per month due to landmines and one out of 245 people are amputees 1 . How Injuries Occur A study by the ICRC assessed the ways in which a landmine injury typically occurs 6 . Victims can trigger an explosion by applying pressure on a mine through standing on the mine or handling a mine. The outcomes are usually amputation of a limb.
Injuries can also occur from fragment mines.
When a fragment mine explodes, it releases cube or cylindrical-shaped metal fragments with sharp spikes 7 . Fragment mine injuries are less predictable 4 . Some fragment mines explode at ground level while others explode at the chest or head level 7 . Occupational Hazard of Demining Teams Demining teams compose of local civilians who are hired to clear minefields so the land can become usable again. However, removal and neutralization without injury is exactly what landmines are designed to avoid.