Kabul, Feb 3 (AHN) Afghanistan has been ranked third globally for casualties caused by landmines and unexploded war remnants, according to the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), local media reported on Tuesday.

On Tuesday, UNAMA stated that nearly 80 per cent of the victims are children, who get often injured or killed while playing or unknowingly touching an unexploded ordnance. The UNAMA demanded increased financial support for demining organisations working to clear mines and aware people about explosive risks, Afghanistan's leading news agency Khaama Press reported.

According to UNAMA, clearance teams function every day to remove explosive remnants while awareness campaigns are launched to reduce exposure of people to deadly materials. The UN mission has advised people in Afghanistan to not touch suspicious material and instead report them to authorities to stop further casualties.

According to the UN statistics, nearly 3.3 million people of Afghanistan reside within one kilometre of areas contaminated by mines and unexploded ordnance, Khaama Press reported. Afghanistan has been contaminated with landmines and unexploded ordnances due to decades of conflict, which continue to pose a threat to lives of people.

Earlier on January 18, proivincial police in a statement said that one child was killed and three others were injured after an unexploded ordnance from past conflicts exploded in Afghanistan's Wardak province, Xinhua News Agency reported.

According to the statement, a device exploded after children found a toy-like object and started playing with it, resulting in a child getting killed while three others suffering injuries. The three injured children were taken to Kabul for treatment.

On January 14, a person was killed after an unexploded ordnance left over from the past wars detonated in Afghanistan's Nangarhar province, provincial police spokesman Sayed Tayeb Hemad said, Xinhua News Agency reported. The official stated that a shepherd was killed in the incident that took place in Spinghar district.