Casualties from Myanmar landmines jump to over 1,000 last year, says UNICEF

FILE PHOTO: A UNICEF logo is pictured outside their offices in Geneva, Switzerland, January 30, 2017. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse/File Photo

(Reuters) - The number of civilian casualties, including children, who were killed or maimed by landmines and explosive ordnance in Myanmar more than doubled last year to 1,052, the U.N. children's agency said on Thursday, as conflict raged in the impoverished country.

Landmines and explosive remnants of war caused a 270% jump in casualties in 2023, including 188 killed and 864 wounded, UNICEF said, up from 390 casualties in 2022. Children made up more than 20% of all landmine victims last year, it said.