/ 9 August 2004

Six killed in mine blast in Angola

Six people have died after an anti-tank mine exploded in the southeastern Angolan province of Kuango Kubango, national radio reported late on Sunday.

The explosion occurred on Friday evening when a vehicle carrying six people, including two newly appointed provincial officials, hit the explosive.

An investigation has been launched by the Angolan military and police have been despatched to the site in the Kuito Kuanavale municipality, it said.

Angola, a former Portuguese colony, was wracked by a bloody civil war between 1975 and 2002 during which millions of landmines and anti-tank explosives were used.

According to various estimates there are still between seven and 14-million unexploded mines scattered across the southern African country. – Sapa-AFP