LEBANON: Residents and charities fear unexploded amunitions left behind after month of fighting in south Lebanon

Record ID: 356557

  • Title: LEBANON: Residents and charities fear unexploded amunitions left behind after month of fighting in south Lebanon
  • Date: 23rd August 2006
  • Summary: (BN11) TYRE, LEBANON (AUGUST 22, 2006) (REUTERS) VARIOUS CLOSE UPS OF CHILDREN LYING IN HOSPITAL AFTER PLAYING WITH A CLUSTER BOMB THAT EXPLODED
  • Embargoed: 7th September 2006 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Lebanon
  • Country: Lebanon
  • Topics: Defence / Military
  • Reuters ID: LVA22MHEL7C7D9K1GUAXKV3WR4SN
  • Story Text: Lebanese bomb disposal units and demining charities continued to search areas around the south of Lebanon on Tuesday (August 22) for the deadly remnants of the 34-day war fought between Hizbollah guerrillas and the Israeli army.
    Unexploded mortar rounds, shells, cluster bombs and grenades litter many areas in the south, the scene of the most intense fighting between the two sides.
    In many villages the situation is so bad, people are afraid to let children play outside, many farmers cannot go into their fields because of the risk from the explosives.
    One family which grows tobacco in the fields surrounding their house in the village of Majdal Selem, runs the risk of contact with the bombs every time they go outside. Cluster bombs and mortar rounds lie sprinkled around the fields and areas around their house.
    "We have unexploded bombs close to our house and nobody comes to clear them. We have small children and we can not go outside our homes," Samira, the mother of the family told Reuters while she folded dried tobacco leaves next to her son.
    The bomb disposal teams have worked days without any help to clear the ammunitions. Members of the demining teams around southern Lebanon face a daunting task with literally thousands of bombs waiting to be discovered.
    "Here in South Lebanon we think that approximately thirty percent of all ammunition launched or dropped or fired did not explode. So you have unexploded ammunition everywhere, scattered everywhere around South Lebanon," Fredrick Gras from the Mine Advisory Group said to Reuters Television.
    The need to remove these dangerous items increases every day, as people especially children are getting injured and killed.
    "We understand that children have been injured due to unexploded ordinance. I know the UN is currently looking into the situation and trying to gather statistics. We don't yet know how many children have been injured or killed, but certainly the UN is looking into it, it is a major concern and it is something hospitals and health centres here in the area are going to have to deal with," said Fay Mahid from Save the Children.
    With the situation so critical, and so many unexploded bombs for the demining teams to deal with, charity organisations are now dispersing information and educating residents in order to try and keep the people of south Lebanon safe,
    "We are planning to provide unexploded ordnance classes, education for children to make them aware of the situation, how to take care of themselves because clearly in this situation children, and particularly young children are very vulnerable. Particularly for example cluster bombs have fallen around the area, they are very small, they are not always easy to see. Some of them are brightly coloured and maybe mistaken by children for toys," Fay Mahid continued.
    Until all the unexploded ordnance has been removed, the danger to civilians remains very high - even with education and vigilance, people, particularly children, continue to get killed and injured.
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