Police in Donetsk region report second incident of civilians triggering mines this year
KRAMATORSK. Feb 1 (Interfax) - Two men aged 28 and 44 were taken to hospital with mine-blast wounds in the town of Dzerzhinsk in the Donetsk region, the press service of the Main Directorate of the Ukrainian National Police in the Donetsk region reported on Monday.
Law enforcement officials said that the wounded men hit an explosive device in the forest belt near the town of Leninske of the Dzerzhinsk city council. "Police learned that the friends came from Konstatinovka to Leninske to visit their comrade. The men said that they went for a walk to the forest belt, set traps for hares and hit a booby trap. The wounded were given medical aid," the statement reads.
A criminal case was opened over the incident under Article 258 Part 1 (a terrorist act) of the Ukrainian Criminal Code.
This is already the second case of civilians triggering explosive devices since the beginning of the year 2016, the police regional main directorate said. On January 7, a tractor, which had operated in the field near the dividing line, hit a mine and caught fire in the Artemivsk district.
In 2015, 25 civilians, including four children, eight women and 13 men died in the explosions of booby traps, mines and other unidentified explosive devices in the Donetsk region. Seventy people, including five children, 28 women and 37 men were wounded. Thus, a total of 95 people have fallen victim to these blasts, including 38 people who hit booby traps. Tractors have hit mines six times during field work.