Yemen: Saudi MASAM Clears 2,963 Houthi Mines in March

The MASAM project removed over 500 Houthi mines in Yemen during the first week of February. (SPA)
The MASAM project removed over 500 Houthi mines in Yemen during the first week of February. (SPA)
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Yemen: Saudi MASAM Clears 2,963 Houthi Mines in March

The MASAM project removed over 500 Houthi mines in Yemen during the first week of February. (SPA)
The MASAM project removed over 500 Houthi mines in Yemen during the first week of February. (SPA)

King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center's project for clearing mines in Yemen, Masam, demined 2,963 mines during the first week of March 2020.

The cleared mines include 310 anti-tank, 14 anti-personnel mines, 2,637 unexploded ordnance, and two explosive devices.

Since the start of the MASAM project, 148,427 landmines planted by the Iranian-backed Houthi militias in Yemen have been removed.

Houthis attempt to hide mines in various forms, colors, and methods, resulting in the death of a large number of children, women and the elderly as well as serious injuries and amputation of organs.



At Least 8 People are Killed When Passenger Train Slams into Minibus in Egypt

Egyptians look at the crash of two trains that collided near the Khorshid station in Egypt's coastal city of Alexandria, Egypt August 11, 2017. REUTERS/Osama Nageb
Egyptians look at the crash of two trains that collided near the Khorshid station in Egypt's coastal city of Alexandria, Egypt August 11, 2017. REUTERS/Osama Nageb
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At Least 8 People are Killed When Passenger Train Slams into Minibus in Egypt

Egyptians look at the crash of two trains that collided near the Khorshid station in Egypt's coastal city of Alexandria, Egypt August 11, 2017. REUTERS/Osama Nageb
Egyptians look at the crash of two trains that collided near the Khorshid station in Egypt's coastal city of Alexandria, Egypt August 11, 2017. REUTERS/Osama Nageb

A train slammed into a minibus that was crossing the tracks in an unauthorized location in norther Egypt on Thursday, killing at least eight people and leaving 12 injured, the government said.

The deadly crash took place in the Suez Canal province of Ismailia, the health ministry said. More than a dozen ambulances were sent to the scene, Reuters reported.

The Egyptian railway authority said the passenger train was on its regular route when the collision occurred. The place where the minibus was crossing the railway tracks is not designated for crossing.

Local Egyptian news outlets said the victims, who included children, were all take to East Qantara Central Hospital. One child was reported to be in critical condition.

Train derailments and crashes are common in Egypt, where an aging railway system has also been plagued by mismanagement. Last October, a locomotive crashed into the tail of a Cairo-bound passenger train in southern Egypt, killing at least one person. In September, two passenger trains collided in a Nile Delta city, killing at least three people.

In recent years, the government has announced initiatives to improve its railways. President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi said in 2018 that some 250 billion Egyptian pounds, or $8.13 billion, would be needed to properly overhaul the neglected rail network.