Raqqa, May 27 (SANA) Three children were killed and their father and two siblings wounded after a landmine exploded on Wednesday near the town of Ain Issa in Syria’s northern Raqqa province, local officials and medical sources said.
The blast occurred while Khaled Ali Ramadan and his children were searching for missing sheep near former front-line areas that had been abandoned for years because of the war, according to a relative who spoke to SANA.
Medical teams said that Khaled Ali Ramadan, 50, suffered critical injuries, including skull and jaw fractures, brain bleeding and multiple leg fractures, and was admitted to intensive care.
The two injured children are in stable condition and continue to receive treatment in hospital, Abu Shuaib added.
Large areas of Syria remain contaminated by landmines and unexploded ordnance left behind by years of war, particularly in former conflict zones across Raqqa province and along the M4 highway near Ain Issa.
Demining teams and emergency agencies are continuing clearance operations and awareness campaigns aimed at reducing the threat posed by mines and unexploded remnants of war, especially to children and civilians returning to affected areas.
ADH/ABD
