UNICEF Reports Child Deaths Due to Unexploded Ordnance in Pakistan

Lakki Marwat: Five children lost their lives and a dozen were seriously injured following the detonation of an unexploded mortar shell in the city of Lakki Marwat, located in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, over the weekend.

According to EMM, the children discovered the unexploded ordnance in a nearby field, mistaking it for a toy, and brought it back to their village, where it later detonated.

The ordnance is believed to be one of the many unexploded shells left over from past military clashes between Pakistan and India in May, as reported by various news outlets. Since January, UNICEF has been working with the government to educate 9,500 children on the dangers posed by leftover munitions in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The agency has urged Pakistan to enhance support for lifesaving explosive ordnance risk education.