Share

More Guinea-Bissau land mine deaths

Bisaau - Two more people who were wounded when a minibus struck a land mine in Guinea-Bissau have died, a doctor said on Monday, raising the death toll in the accident to 22.

The bus was travelling in the country's north on Friday when it was completely destroyed by the mine. The blast was so strong most victims were unrecognisable to their relatives. Alberto Malo, a doctor at the hospital where several victims were brought, confirmed 2 Monday that two more people succumbed to their wounds.

The mine appears to date to the country's fight for independence from Portugal. The blast has raised questions in Guinea-Bissau, which had declared itself free of all known land mines after demining operations.

But Cesar de Carvalho, the director of country's centre for co-ordinating demining, said the area where the mine went off was not part of the programme since it was not the site of intensive fighting.

Since independence in 1974, Guinea-Bissau has been roiled by coups and instability and no president has ever finished his term in office. It is now trying to get back on course, and held a peaceful presidential election in May.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Do you think corruption-accused National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula will survive a motion of no confidence against her?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
No, her days are numbered
41% - 557 votes
Yes, the ANC caucus will protect her
59% - 801 votes
Vote
Rand - Dollar
18.87
+0.3%
Rand - Pound
23.85
+0.2%
Rand - Euro
20.38
+0.2%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.31
+0.2%
Rand - Yen
0.12
+0.2%
Platinum
908.05
0.0%
Palladium
1,014.94
0.0%
Gold
2,232.75
-0.0%
Silver
24.95
-0.1%
Brent Crude
87.00
+1.8%
Top 40
68,346
0.0%
All Share
74,536
0.0%
Resource 10
57,251
0.0%
Industrial 25
103,936
0.0%
Financial 15
16,502
0.0%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE