An excavator operator was injured in a mine explosion near Khojavend.

Mine and other munitions explosions in the former Karabakh conflict zone regularly affect Azerbaijani residents, both military and civilians. On June 30, a police officer was injured in a mine explosion in the Aghdam district. His right leg was amputated.

An ANAMA employee was injured during the day on October 20 while working in the village of Tagaverd in the Khojavend district. The victim, 58-year-old Ilgar Shirinov, was working as an excavator operator.

While performing his duties, Shirinov stepped on a mine. The explosion injured his foot. His right leg was amputated at the ankle at the Khojavend district hospital, Azertac reported.

The wounded man's condition after surgery was described by doctors as stable.

The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry reported in April that the death toll from mine explosions following the 44-day 2020 war in Karabakh had reached 392. In August 2023, Azerbaijani public organizations appealed to the UN and the European Union to help resolve the problem with demining the country's territories. In May 2024, the European Union, which had allocated 10 million euros to Azerbaijan for demining since 2020, agreed to increase its financial assistance to Baku for demining the former Karabakh conflict zone to 14 million euros.