Aden - (Xinhua) - The United Nations Mission in Yemen announced today (Thursday) that four civilians were killed in a landmine explosion in the coastal governorate of Al-Hodeidah on the Red Sea in the west of the country.

A statement of the mission, a copy of which was received by Xinhua News Agency, stated that it "regrets what was reported of another landmine explosion that killed four civilians, including three children from the same family, while collecting fuel wood in Al-Hawk district."

According to the statement, this tragic incident once again highlights the dangers that citizens in Hodeidah, especially children, face every day as they go about their daily lives. More than half of the victims who were reported killed or injured in landmine and explosive remnants of war incidents in July were from children.

The UN mission renewed its call on the parties to take urgent and concrete measures to clean up the contaminated areas.

It affirmed that it "will continue to provide coordination of mine action and technical support to relevant partners to protect the most vulnerable people in Hodeidah."

The UN mission in Hodeidah called on "the international community to continue providing support for mine clearance work."

The United Nations Mission in Support of the Hodeidah Agreement is a monitoring mission formed by the United Nations following an agreement sponsored by the Yemeni government and the Houthi group in the Swedish capital Stockholm in December 2018, with the aim of monitoring the cessation of military operations in the coastal Hodeidah on the Red Sea, which includes the port of Hodeidah, the main artery of basic supplies in Yemen. .

Al-Hodeidah suffers from high pollution due to mines and ordnance from war remnants, and as a result, civilian casualties are constantly occurring in large areas of the coastal governorate.