Remnant of war

A 25-YEAR-OLD man from Battambang province died instantly when an anti-tank mine exploded in Pursat province’s Veal Veng district, officials said yesterday.

Kim Ly, the chief of Ta Souk commune, said the victim, Ngen Touch, caused the mine to detonate while he was cutting vines on Tra Ngel mountain on Friday.

“His right leg was completely devastated, his stomach was broken, and there was blood leaking from his mouth, nose and eyes,” Kim Ly said. Had there not been a large rock standing between Ngen Touch and the mine, his body would have been completely obliterated, she said.

Pursat has been the site of 22 land mine and explosive remnants of war casualties since the beginning of 2009, according to a July report from the Cambodian Mine/ERW Victim Information System.

Cambodia is currently on track to surpass last year’s casualty total of 244.