Tragic Landmine Blast Claims Life of Teenager Near Army Camp in Anantnag
A heartbreaking incident unfolded in Jammu and Kashmir’s Anantnag district, where a young teenager lost his life after stepping on a landmine near an Army camp. The boy, who suffered severe injuries in the explosion on Sunday, passed away on Monday at an Army hospital in Srinagar.
According to officials, the teenager accidentally entered the fenced area around the Army’s Khundroo camp in Anantnag. That’s when he triggered the landmine, leading to the fatal blast. Rescuers rushed him first to the Government Medical College (GMC) hospital in Anantnag town. From there, doctors airlifted him to the Army’s 92 Base Hospital in Srinagar for advanced treatment. Sadly, his injuries proved too critical, and he couldn’t be saved.
The victim was Shahid Ahmad, the son of Mohammad Yusuf from Larnoo village in Anantnag district. He was just a teenager exploring the area when the tragedy struck.
This spot holds the Army’s 21 Field Ammunition Depot (FAD) in the Khundroo region—one of the largest ammo storage sites in the Kashmir Valley. But it’s no stranger to danger. Over the years, several accidents have rocked the depot and nearby villages, claiming lives and leaving communities on edge.
Back on August 11, 2007, a massive fire sparked by an accidental explosion inside the depot killed over 20 laborers and injured many more. It was a devastating blow to the local workforce.
Then, on October 19, 2011, another worker got critically hurt after stepping on a landmine while clearing grass near the depot’s fence. Tragedies kept coming—in March 2015, a laborer died and two others were wounded when a shell detonated unexpectedly inside the facility.
The risks extend beyond the depot walls. Live shells have exploded in surrounding villages multiple times, turning everyday moments into nightmares. For instance, on March 1, 2018, two young boys in Rakhi-Brah, Ranipora area of Shangus, got injured while playing with what they thought was harmless scrap—it was a live shell that blew up in their hands.
Just a few months earlier, on June 7, 2015, a similar mishap in Roonipora village of Shangus killed one laborer and hurt three others, including two women, during a routine loading task.
To tackle these leftover threats, the Army regularly conducts defusing operations in the Rakhi Brah area—a mountainous field dotted with hidden dangers. After safely neutralizing the ammo, scrap collectors clear the remnants, helping keep the community safer.
These repeated landmine explosions and ammunition accidents in Anantnag highlight the ongoing challenges in this sensitive border region. Authorities urge locals to stay away from restricted zones to avoid such heart-wrenching losses.
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