Parts of a cluster munitions container in the rebel-held area in Deraa, Syria. Explosives left by rival groups in fields, along roads or even in buildings in the country's conflict have killed hundreds of civilians. Reuters
Parts of a cluster munitions container in the rebel-held area in Deraa, Syria. Explosives left by rival groups in fields, along roads or even in buildings in the country's conflict have killed hundreds of civilians. Reuters
Parts of a cluster munitions container in the rebel-held area in Deraa, Syria. Explosives left by rival groups in fields, along roads or even in buildings in the country's conflict have killed hundreds of civilians. Reuters
Parts of a cluster munitions container in the rebel-held area in Deraa, Syria. Explosives left by rival groups in fields, along roads or even in buildings in the country's conflict have killed hundred

Syria landmine explosion kills 11, including five children


Amr Mostafa
  • English
  • Arabic

Eleven people were killed when a landmine exploded in the countryside near Deraa, south-west Syria, on Saturday, a war monitor said.

Among those killed were five children aged under 18 and three women, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

The Britain-based watchdog said 28 others were wounded in the blast that took place when a car carrying workers harvesting wheat ran over the landmine, in the town of Deir Al Adas.

Earlier, the official Sana news agency put the death toll at five and said at least 30 people were wounded.

The latest toll brings to 124 the total number of people killed by explosive remnants since the beginning of 2022, said the observatory, which relies on a wide network of sources in Syria.

Explosives left by rival groups in fields, along roads or even in buildings in Syria's decade-long conflict have wounded thousands of civilians and killed hundreds of others.

About half the Syrian population is estimated to be living in areas contaminated by unexploded ordnance, the UN said.

In 2020, Syria overtook Afghanistan as the country with the highest number of recorded casualties from landmines and explosive remnants of war, with 2,729 people killed or wounded, the Landmine Monitor said.

In 2021, 241 civilians were killed and 128 wounded by explosive remnants across Syria, the Observatory said.

Syria's war is estimated to have killed nearly half a million people and displaced millions more since it began with a brutal campaign against anti-government protests in 2011.

Stats at a glance:

Cost: 1.05 billion pounds (Dh 4.8 billion)

Number in service: 6

Complement 191 (space for up to 285)

Top speed: over 32 knots

Range: Over 7,000 nautical miles

Length 152.4 m

Displacement: 8,700 tonnes

Beam:   21.2 m

Draught: 7.4 m

Uefa Nations League: How it works

The Uefa Nations League, introduced last year, has reached its final stage, to be played over five days in northern Portugal. The format of its closing tournament is compact, spread over two semi-finals, with the first, Portugal versus Switzerland in Porto on Wednesday evening, and the second, England against the Netherlands, in Guimaraes, on Thursday.

The winners of each semi will then meet at Porto’s Dragao stadium on Sunday, with the losing semi-finalists contesting a third-place play-off in Guimaraes earlier that day.

Qualifying for the final stage was via League A of the inaugural Nations League, in which the top 12 European countries according to Uefa's co-efficient seeding system were divided into four groups, the teams playing each other twice between September and November. Portugal, who finished above Italy and Poland, successfully bid to host the finals.

UPI facts

More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions

TRAP

Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue

Director: M Night Shyamalan

Rating: 3/5

Updated: June 12, 2022, 4:12 PM`