LANDMINE KILLS THREE PEOPLE IN GORAZDE

GORAZDE, Bosnia (March 24,2008) – Bosnian police have confirmed that three people have been killed in a landmine explosion near the eastern Bosnian town of Gorazde.

The three included two policemen and a member of Bosnia's civil protection unit, who all died on Saturday as a result of the explosion. Policemen Suljo Hurtic and Radislav Carapic, and civil protection unit member Gorazde Ranko Simic had been trying to mark the area around the landmine, when a mine exploded.

Incoming reports indicate that the three had in fact entered a minefield that had not been marked previously.

The accident happened in Masici village as police were called to mark and secure the ground before the arrival of mine clearers.

"The three men died when a landmine went off," local police said.

Teams stationed at Gorazde including police and judicial authorities and a Canadian team of de-miners were immediately sent to the scene to investigate the case.

The most recent records show that Bosnia is Europe's most mine-contaminated country, with nearly 4 percent of the territory still planted with landmines and other explosive devices.

More than 470 people have been killed and 1,100 injured in mine explosions in Bosnia since the end of the 1992-1995 Serbian,Montenegrin and Croatian aggressions.
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