[Published: Tuesday August 10 2010]
ICRC concerned over dangers posed by
unexploded munitions
Geneva, 10 Aug-(ANA)-The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)
has warned of the risk posed by explosive remnants of war and the additional
danger caused when they are moved by flood waters.
In
a statement following the injury sustained by three young children when a
homemade bomb detonated in the Dera Ismail Khan area of flood stricken Pakistan, ICRC
said the device was apparently dislodged from its original position by
floodwaters before the children came in contact with it.
Several
parts of Pakistan
have recently been rocked by armed
violence. The use of booby traps and makeshift bombs, and the presence in some
areas of mines and unexploded ordnance, remain a real threat..
"All
persons living in areas affected by fighting – or in adjacent areas subject to
recent flooding – should be aware of the risk posed by explosive remnants of
war," said Luiza Khazhgerieva, an International Committee of the Red Cross
(ICRC) mine-risk education specialist. "Areas that may once have been
considered free of weapons can easily be re-contaminated when mines and
unexploded ordnance are carried into them by floodwaters." (ANA)
FA/ANA/10
August 2010-------------
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