Mulugu: Woman steps on pressure activated mine, loses leg

The injured woman D Sunitha was among 100 villagers who ventured out deep into the forest area to visit Beeda Mallana temple near Doli village.

Mulugu: In the continuing face-off between the outlawed Maoists and the security forces, on the Telangana-Chhattisgarh border, a civilian sustained serious injuries when she stepped on a pressure activated mine near Karrigutta area of Venkatapuram mandal on Thursday. Doctors at Bhadrachalam hospital had to amputate her leg on Friday.

The Improvised Explosive Device (IED) was meant to target the security forces on counterinsurgency-operations. The injured woman D Sunitha was among 100 villagers who ventured out deep into the forest area to visit Beeda Mallana temple near Doli village. Villager say Sunitha stepped on the IED which went off with a deafening sound.

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The villagers initially ran helter-skelter but gathered again to notice that Sunitha sustained deep injuries on her left leg. They made a makeshift stretcher and carried her for nearly 25 kms to bring to Mallapuram village near Palam project. Later,the injured woman was rushed to Venkatapuram hospital in a car and subsequently to Bhadrachalam.

This is the second incident in which pressure activated mines went off in the last 10 days. On June 3, Yellandula Yesu was killed in a landmine explosion suspected to have been planted by Maoists in the Kongala hills forest under Wajedu mandal of the district.

The security forces have recently intensified anti-Maoists operations along Telangana-Chhattisgarh border and found many booby traps laid along beaten tracks to target the police teams.