Today, on 24 March, a truck of a local company exploded in a sand quarry near Sorokivka village in Kharkiv district. The type of explosive is currently unknown, Kharkiv RMA reported.

The 56-year-old driver was hospitalized, while the 64-year-old company head died of injuries sustained in the explosion.

Kharkiv Regional Military Administration chairman Oleh Syniehubov urges observing mine safety: avoid visiting forests, rivers, fields, etc. All these areas are potentially dangerous. Kharkiv region is one of the most contaminated with explosive devices, with Kupiansk, Vovchansk, and Izium forestries being the most affected.

See also: A man blown up and injured after an anti-personnel mine exploded in Izium District.

From the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine until 15 February, at least 178 people were injured by mines in the region, 52 of them killed.

To reduce the risk of injury or death to children, UNICEF, and Ukrainian ministries launched the All About Mine Safety website for parents, teachers and children.

If you find a suspicious object, please inform the State Emergency Service or the National Police by calling 101, 102 or 112.

Do not

  • touch or move the object;
  • use radio equipment, and mobile phones;
  • pour liquids on it, cover it with soil, or cover it with something;
  • touching a suspicious device and exerting sound, light, heat or mechanical influence on it, as almost all explosives are poisonous and sensitive to mechanical, sound and heat.

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