More than 690 people attend mine safety awareness events in liberated territories

A total of 691 people have taken part in mine safety awareness events in Azerbaijan"s liberated territories, Hafiz Safikhanov, chairman of the Azerbaijan Campaign Against Mines, said at an event dedicated to the implementation of a project aimed at raising awareness among people returning to the liberated territories about the dangers posed by landmines and unexploded ordnance.

According to Report, he said the project is nearing completion. Awareness-raising events were held in the cities of Kalbajar, Shusha, Jabrayil and Khojavand; the villages of Beylik, Sus and Zabukh in the Lachin district; the settlement of Girmizi Bazar and the village of Khanoba in the Khojavand district; and the village of Aghali in the Zangilan district.

"Former internally displaced persons who have returned to their native lands, teachers, schoolchildren, employees of the Ministry of Emergency Situations and the police, as well as engineers and construction workers, took part in the events. A total of 691 people participated in mine safety awareness activities in the liberated territories," Safikhanov said.

The project was implemented under a grant competition jointly announced by the Agency for State Support to Non-Governmental Organizations and the Karabakh Revival Fund, in partnership with the Azerbaijan Mine Action Agency (ANAMA).

Highlighting the importance of this work, Safikhanov said that 441 people had been injured in mine explosions in Azerbaijan since the Second Karabakh War, 73 of whom had died.

According to him, 58 of those killed were civilians, including women and children.

"Azerbaijan ranks first in the South Caucasus in terms of the number of mine victims. Unfortunately, their number continues to rise. Therefore, mine safety awareness activities must continue," the head of the organization stressed.