Syria landmine explosion kills 11, including five children

A car carrying wheat harvesters set off the device

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. ReutersShow less

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.