Landmine blast kills 6 people in Syria’s Deir ez-Zor
DEIR EZ-ZOR, Syria (North Press) – Six people were killed and others were injured on Saturday in a landmine explosion in Deir ez-Zor Governorate, eastern Syria.
A local source said a landmine detonated in a vehicle carrying truffle hunters in the Haribsha desert in the southern countryside of Deir ez-Zor.
The explosion resulted in the killing of six people, while two others sustained critical wounds. All of the affected people were from the town of Shumaytiyah in the northwest of Deir ez-Zor.
On March 2, two truffle hunters were killed in a landmine explosion in the Bishri desert in the western countryside of Deir ez-Zor.
Since the start of the truffle season, dozens of people have been killed in accidents and mysterious killings. Truffle hunting season of 2023 resulted in the killing and injury of around 300 people.
Each year, hundreds of Syrians risk their lives in the vast Syrian Desert, which produces high-quality truffles. The late winter season is largely seen as an opportunity to earn a good income, due to the high prices paid for the desert delicacy, despite the threats of landmines and the presence of Islamic State (ISIS) sleeper cells.