Mine explosion in Azerbaijan leaves 1 soldier dead, 7 injured

An Azerbaijani soldier was killed and seven others were injured as a result of a mine explosion in Azerbaijan's Kalbajar region, which was liberated from the occupation of Armenia, local authorities said on Wednesday.

In a statement, Azerbaijan's Prosecutor General's Office said that four company employees engaged in repair and construction works in the village of Chirag village were injured due to the explosion of an antipersonnel mine at around 6:00 p.m. local time (1400GMT).

The statement further stated that one of four soldiers who rushed to the scene to evacuate the injured workers stepped on the mine and lost his life, while the remaining three sustained injuries.

Relations between the two former Soviet republics of Armenia and Azerbaijan have been tense since 1991, when the Armenian military occupied Nagorno-Karabakh, a territory internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, and seven adjacent regions.

In the fall of 2020, in 44 days of clashes, Azerbaijan liberated several cities, villages, and settlements from Armenian occupation. The Russian-brokered peace agreement is celebrated as a triumph in Azerbaijan.