PHNOM PENH, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- The Cambodian Mine Action Authority (CMAA) reported Wednesday that the number of casualties from landmines and unexploded ordnances (UXOs) decreased 3 percent in the first six months of 2018.
The report said during the January-June period this year, there were 31 landmine and UXO casualties, down 3 percent compared with 32 casualties over the same period last year.
"Seven people were killed, 17 injured and 7 others had their limbs amputated," the report said, adding that 64 percent of the victims were men, 19 percent were boys, 10 percent were woman, and 7 percent were girls.
Cambodia is one of the most landmine-affected countries in the world. An estimated 4 to 6 million landmines and other munitions were left over from nearly three decades of war that ended in 1998.
According to the report, from 1979 to June 2018, landmine and UXO explosions had claimed 19,765 lives and left 44,986 others wounded or limbs amputated.
CMAA said that over the last 25 years, approximately 1,700 square kilometers of a total of 3,670-square-kilometer contaminated land had been demined.
CMAA's secretary-general Prum Sophakmonkol said in May that the Southeast Asian country is seeking about 406 million U.S. dollars in aid to clear all types of mines and explosive remnants of war by 2025.
