MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Falklands demining season scheduled to begin next Monday

An estimated 18.000 or the 25.000 mines planted by the Argentine invading forces still remain in the Falklands

The Falkland Islands is set to begin another demining and ground clearance activity next week at Minefield number 59 at Wall Mountain on East Falkland.

 Bactec Logisitics Manager Andy Craven who himself served in the Falklands in 1984 said that the validation phase at Mount Harriet was going well and providing all the boxes had been ticked work would start on Monday.

Bactec have a total staff of 69 in the Islands with many of the de-miners returning to work for the second and third time.

Bactec is a UK based company which stands for: Battle Area Clearance, Training, Equipment and Consultancy Group.

These activities are related to the many areas that were planted with anti personnel and anti vehicles' mines by the retreating Argentine invading forces between April and June 1982, or to defend positions against the advancing UK troops.

Argentina brought 25,000 anti vehicle and personnel mines to the Falklands during the 1982 war of which 5,000 were accounted for.

Between 2010 and 2012 land release operations carried out by Bactec helped reopen some public spaces close to the capital Stanley. The clearance represented some six per cent of mines with more than 18,000 mines still in the ground on both East and West Falklands.

This summer activities and next year's are funded by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

No British mines were laid during the 1982 war, however the British Government has the legal responsibility for the removal of land mines placed by Argentine forces under the Ottawa convention.