WWII Era Landmine Explodes In Egypt Killing 5 and Injuring 7

World War II may be long gone, but its horrors are still felt here. A landmine exploded yesterday, Saturday March 26^th, on Safaga-Hurghada road, killing at least five people and severely injuring seven when their vehicle struck the deadly device, reports Cairo Post.

The landmine is believed to belong to the Axis Powers whose forces were led by German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel (a.k.a. Desert Fox) during World War II. Following their withdrawal from Alamain, Rommel’s forces laid the landmines in the country’s eastern and western deserts to prevent being trailed by the Allied Forces.

Landmines have claimed the lives of about 3,200 people in the past 25 years, despite Egypt’s best efforts to clear them.

A similar landmine blast killed one person and injured another in Suez last year, and it was believed to have been planted by Egyptian forces during the War of Attrition with Israel.  

According to Egyptian State Information Service, Egypt is home to 20 percent of the landmines planted around the world, making it one of the most contaminated by landmines internationally.     

(Photo: Marc Ryckaert)