From November 10, 2020, to this day, 338 people have become victims of mines and other explosive ordnance in Azerbaijan. Of these, 65 people died, 273 received injuries of varying degrees of severity, Chairman of the Board of the Azerbaijan Mine Action Agency (ANAMA) Vugar Suleymanov said at the international forum “Healthy environment and mine-free life to achieve sustainable development goals”, organized by the Agency for State Support of Non-Governmental Organizations, Report informs.

“Mines and explosive ordnance not only pose a direct threat to human life and health, but also cause damage to the environment and ecosystem. According to preliminary estimates, about 1.5 million mines were installed in the territories of Azerbaijan liberated from occupation, and about 9,000 sq. km of territory are contaminated with mines,” Suleymanov said.

According to him, as a result of demining operations carried out from November 2020 to the present, a total of 114,400.9 hectares of territory have been cleared of mines and explosive ordnance.

“A total of 110,347 mines and other explosive remnants of war were found and cleared, including 30,795 anti-personnel mines, 18,582 anti-tank mines and 60,970 pieces of unexploded ordnance,” noted Suleymanov.