TRAGIC LANDMINE EXPLOSION ACCIDENT

[Anchor Lead]

An accident presumed to be a landmine explosion has occurred in Cheorwon, killing an excavator driver who was removing trees from a stream. Local residents say they are gravely concerned about their safety because of landmines.

[Pkg]

A part of a large excavator has been torn off beyond recognition. The accident occurred at 9:40 a.m. Sunday on the northern side of the Civilian Control Line in Dochang, Cheorwon-gun County. It happened presumably when the excavator stepped on an anti-tank mine while removing trees from a stream following flooding.

[Soundbite] Park Dae-hyun(Cheorwon Resident) : "I heard an explosion as if something was being torn apart. Then I saw a pillar of fire."

The driver of the excavator was killed at the scene. Fragments that flew around cut high-voltage electric cables on a telephone pole located around 200 meters away. Some 1,900 households were without power for over an hour and a half. Locals express grave concerns over safety. Something they have to compromise just because they live close to the border. They say the site of the Sunday accident is where mine explosions had occurred before. But no safety measures or mine removal efforts have been undertaken properly, resulting in yet another tragedy. One local resident who also lost a relative in a landmine explosion was devastated to hear the news.

[Soundbite] Lee Ho-rim(Cheorwon Resident) : "I lost one of my relatives, too. Mine explosions kill people. That man probably also died because of that. We live close to landmines. It's very unsettling."

Police and the military are investigating the accident to identify its exact cause.