In Chechnya, mine explosion kills a youngster of 19

Mezhid Alkhazurov, 19, blew himself up by a land mine in a high-mountain village of Dargo, Vedeno District of Chechnya.

A resident of the Vedeno District told about it to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent in a telephone conversation. According to his story, the casualty was buried today.

"Yesterday, on March 12, just some twenty meters away from the edge of Dargo a young guy blew himself by a mine. Local resident Mezhid Alkhazurov, apparently, he was about 19," told the source. "Today, I was at his funeral. People are perplexed how it could happen there, people earlier used to walk in that area. Most likely, this mine was planted recently. It could be done both by militants and by militaries."

"The adjoining territory was checked for other explosives, but nothing else was found," a local law enforcer said to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

It is the second accident of this sort in the Chechen Republic within the last two days. On March 11, in the vicinity of Bamut village, Achkhoy-Martan District, an unidentified explosive blew up under a GAZ truck. The driver and two passengers who made their way to procure fire wood received fragmental wounds of various gravity and were hospitalized.

Experts believe that the Chechen Republic requires an all-over demining. Over 24,000 hectares of land need clearing from unexploded ammunition and other ordnance, which will cost over 12 billion roubles.