Landmine explosion in BiH claims life of civilian decades after Bosnian war

SARAJEVO, March 21 (Xinhua) -- Smajo Zenicanin, a 48-year civilian national of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), has been killed in a landmine explosion in a marked minefield near Doboj, 150 km north of the capital Sarajevo, the state-owned news agency SRNA reported on Tuesday.

Zenicanin became the country's 619th casualty of landmines and explosive devices left over after the Bosnian war that ended in 1995, according to the count of the national Mine Action Centre (MAC).

A demining team is working on securing the scene and recovering Zenicanin's body, MAC Director Sasa Obradovic told SRNA.

The Dayton peace agreement, signed on Dec. 14, 1995, in Paris, ended the four-year war in Bosnia. The process of demining started one year later.

Almost three decades after the war, 956.36 square kilometers of Bosnian land -- almost 2 percent of the country's territory -- are still considered to be a mine-contaminated area, directly affecting the lives of over 845,000 citizens. Low-income residents often ignore warning signs and enter mine risk areas to collect firewood or forest fruit.

Mines and other explosive devices left over after the war have wounded 1,768 people, 618 of them fatally. The victims included 53 demining professionals.

According to the MAC, there are 17 accredited mine clearance organizations in BiH.