Azerbaijan, Baku, July 5 /Trend M.Aliyev/
Some 520 people were killed and 1840 injured to date whilst working in mines in Azerbaijan, Deputy Prime Minister Abid Sharifov said at the opening of Jeyranchol, a joint project partnered by ANAMA and NATO / NSPA for the disposal of mines and unexploded ordnance in Azerbaijan.
The most dangerous area is Jeyranchol located on the border with Georgia due to the large clusters of mines and ammunition, Sharifov said.
He said 3.9 million euros will be spent on mine clearance of 19,000 hectares of land as part of the Djeyranchol project. Half of these funds will be allocated by the government of Azerbaijan.
Support of NATO in the finished Saloğlu project "is of great importance for Azerbaijan as the project has saved many lives," Sharifov said.
He noted that a large number of different anti-tank mines, artillery shells, bombs and other unexploded ordnance with damaged warheads were found in Jeyranchol which covers an area of 64,000,000 square metres.
At present, ANAMA cleared an area of 19,000 hectares and destroyed tens of thousands of mines and unexploded ordnance, Sharifov said.
Only one accident which resulted in the death of an employee has occurred for 11 years of ANAMA operation.
Sharifov noted that the number of victims almost reduced to zero compared to previous years due to work on public information.