A tractor was completely destroyed by a land mine in Battambang on July 13. The driver lost a leg in the explosion, later succumbing to his wounds in hospital. - CMAC via PPP/ANN
PHNOM PENH: A tractor driver succumbed to his injuries and died in hospital after he hit a landmine while ploughing a field on the evening of Sunday, July 13, in Raksmey Sangha village, in Battamabang province’s Raksmey Sangha commune, in Ratanak Mondol district.
Heng Ratana, director-general of the Cambodian Mine Action Centre (CMAC), confirmed that the mine, a remnant of past wars, caused the death of 38-year-old Phon Sophy, who lost one a leg in the explosion and later passed away at the Battambang provincial hospital. The tractor he was driving was completely destroyed.
The incident was the first landmine fatality recorded in July.
On June 16, a man driving an excavator was seriously injured when a landmine exploded in Oddar Meanchey province’s O’Smach commune, near Samraong town.
Less than a week earlier, a farmer was killed in a June 10 explosion, when a tractor ran over an anti-tank mine in Pailin province’s Sala Krao district.
As of May 2025, Cambodia had recorded 20 casualties due to explosive remnants of war (ERW), including six fatalities, a 33 per cent decrease over the same period in 2024. The three recent incidents bring the total number of casualties to 23, with eight deaths. - PPP/ANN
