They can be made of metal, wood or plastic. After a period of time some mines will fall apart and may become unrecognizable. |
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On arrival in a mined country you should visit one of the demining or mine awareness agencies to find out which landmines are found in that country (as well as the location of known mined areas, the official warning signs/clues, etc).
Landmines can be broken into 3 categories :- Below Ground Mines, Above Ground Mines and Unexploded Ordinance (UXO). Remember that mines and UXOs are not always the brightly colored objects you can see in the posters and displays. Age and weathering can change their appearances with the metal mines rusting and the wooden and plastic mines breaking up.
Below ground (buried) mines can be as small as of a cigarette packet - which is capable of blowing off half of one leg, or as large as a car wheel rim (anti-tank mine) - which would leave no trace of the victim's who detonated it.
Above ground (surface) mines are designed to kill and cause as much psychical damage as possible. For example, the Type 69 'Bounding Mine' has a tripwire attached, which is strung across a path, when tugged it detonates the primary charge causing the mine to jump out of the ground to the height of around 1 meter, then a secondary charge causes it to explode. Anyone within 11 meters will be severely injured by the thousands of red hot razor sharp cast iron fragments.
Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) are the different
ammunitions used in battle, e.g. shells, grenades, rockets, mortars, bullets,
etc. UXOs are designed to explode when they land but sometimes do not detonate
immediately. They will remain where they land, waiting for an unsuspecting
person to move them causing them to detonate. The bombs are now more sensitive
and may detonate by just a touch or, as one deminer told me, by the casting
of a shadow could be enough to cause some bombs to explode.
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BELOW GROUND MINES - Do Not Touch any mines. - Usually buried mines are impossible to see - Buried mines can be uncovered by weathering. - Buried mines are usually set off by stepping or putting weight on the top. |
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- Do Not Touch any mines. - Surface laid mines are usually placed in long grass or behind trees. - Surface laid mines are set off by pulling a loose wire or pulling/cutting a tight wire. - If you see a tripwire do not touch it or try to step over the wire. |
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ORDNANCE (UXO) - UXOs are more destructive than mines. - A common mortar has a lethal range of 300 meters. - The largest bomb has a lethal range of 1000 meters. - Even if you find the UXOs in their packing cases, they are still dangerous and should not be touched. |
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INITIATION
- There are 5 ways to set off the different types of mines.
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