SLEMANI — Two men were killed on Monday after an old artillery shell exploded inside a barn near Kani Maran village in the border area of Halabja province, police said.
Akam Qutbaddin, spokesperson for Halabja Police, said in a statement that the incident occurred at around 12:15 p.m.after the two men tampered with an old artillery shell stored inside the barn.
The explosion was powerful enough to cause the barn’s roof to collapse on the two men, identified as Sarhang Kabir and Nawzad Marf, born in 1984 and 1990 respectively. Both died at the scene, according to police.
Security forces arrived at the site following the blast and transferred the bodies to the forensic department. An investigation into the circumstances of the incident is underway.
The incident highlights the continuing threat posed by unexploded remnants of war in the Kurdistan Region, particularly in rural and border areas. Mines, artillery shells and other unexploded ordnance from past conflicts can remain dangerous for decades and continue to cause casualties among civilians, including farmers and children.
The presence of war remnants also restricts access to agricultural and grazing lands, hindering farming, livestock activities and economic development in affected communities.
