ADEN, Yemen, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- The Yemeni government said on Monday that a landmine explosion killed two people and seriously injured four others in Yemen's northern province of Al-Jawf.
In a statement released by the state-run Saba news agency, the Yemeni government accused the Houthis of haphazardly laying landmines across a key desert highway in the Yatamah district, which were detonated when a civilian vehicle drove over them.
The wounded have been transported to local hospitals for treatment, the statement added.
The incident highlighted the grave danger posed by the unexploded ordnance scattered throughout Yemen by Houthi forces. Thousands of landmines have been planted in residential areas, on public roads, and across the countryside, serving as hidden killers that have claimed thousands of lives, with a significant portion of the victims being women and children, according to the Yemeni government.
Collaborative efforts, supported by Saudi Arabia's King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center, are underway to clear the mines and explosives laid by the Houthis across Yemen through Project Masam, a multilateral humanitarian initiative focused on landmine clearance.
According to the latest figures released on Sunday, 727 landmines were dismantled under the project, including 134 anti-tank mines and 593 other unexploded munitions.
In total, Project Masam has eliminated more than 433,000 mines and explosive hazards from Yemeni territories since it was launched in June 2018.
Yemen has been engulfed in a civil war since 2014, with the Houthis fighting against the internationally-recognized Yemeni government. The Saudi Arabia-led coalition intervened in 2015 to support the Yemeni government in the conflict. ■
