A bulldozer struck a landmine in the Qizilgaya village of the Khojavand district, according to a joint statement released by the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA), the Prosecutor General's Office, and the Azerbaijan National Agency for Mine Action (ANAMA).
The Operative Information Center-OMM reported that the incident occurred on August 7, when a bulldozer operated by Elchin Abbasov, a 63-year-old resident of Gazakh, detonated a mine in an uncleared area. Officials confirmed that Abbasov was unharmed in the blast.
The Khojavand District Prosecutor's Office has launched an investigation into the incident. In their joint statement, the authorities reiterated urgent safety warnings to the public, urging citizens to strictly adhere to safety protocols, respect mine warning signs, avoid touching suspicious objects, and refrain from entering restricted or uncleared zones.
Since the end of the 44-day Patriotic War in 2020, the presence of landmines and unexploded ordnance in the liberated territories of Azerbaijan remains a critical security challenge. ANAMA continues to conduct extensive demining operations across the Garabagh and East Zangezur economic regions to facilitate the safe return of internally displaced persons and the reconstruction of infrastructure in these areas.
