Unexploded munitions are causing deaths and injuries in Syria every six hours, according to a demining charity. The situation especially affects families living in war-affected areas, where explosive remnants remain in the ground without detonation.
Malakeh Barbour, a Syrian mother, lost her 17-year-old son Ahmed in an explosion at her home in the Damascus countryside. Last winter, her children went out to collect plastic and other improvised materials to use for heating, not knowing they were handling objects left by the war.
When they returned home, the object was placed in the heater and exploded. The explosion killed Ahmed and injured her two other children, 10-year-old Haidar and seven-year-old Ghaith. Malakeh, interviewed by AFP at her home, cried when talking about the loss, saying her son's death devastated her. Haidar, who survived, bears scars from the explosion on his face.
