PHNOM PENH, July 23 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia recorded 62 landmine and unexploded ordnance (UXO) casualties in the first half of 2019, up 100 percent compared with 31 over the same period last year, said an official report on Tuesday.

During the January-June period this year, 11 people were killed, up from seven deaths over the same period last year, said the report released by the Cambodian Mine Action Authority (CMAA).

It added that 51 others were either injured or limps amputated during the first six months of this year, up from 24 in the same period last year.

Cambodia is one of the most landmine-affected countries in the world. An estimated 4 to 6 million landmines and other munitions were left over from nearly three decades of war that ended in 1998.

According to the report, landmine and UXO explosions had killed 19,779 people and either injured or amputated 45,061 others from 1979 to June 2019.

CMAA's 1st Vice-President Ly Thuch said last month that it was estimated that mines, explosive remnants of war and cluster bombs are still scattered over the area of 2,149 square kilometers in Cambodia.

The Southeast Asian nation is seeking about 406 million U.S. dollars in aid to clear all types of the munitions by 2025, he said. Enditem

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