ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - A landmine killed a father and injured his 15-year-old son in Choman district, northeast of Erbil, an official said Friday, as the war remnants continue claiming lives.

Mukhlis Shariff, head of the mine directorate at Soran administration, told The New Region that the body of 46-year-old Yadgar Karim was found after two hours of search.

The explosion occurred as Karim and his son, Mohammed, were reportedly searching for explosives to sell as gunpowder in a landmine-contaminated area, according to the official.

Civil defense teams were immediately dispatched to the area to recover the body and the injured. The son has sustained injuries to both hands and legs, according to The New Region’s correspondent.

A total of 776 square kilometers of the Kurdistan Region are contaminated with mines and remnants of war, of which 576 square kilometers have been demined, and around 200 square kilometers remain, according to the Mine Action Agency (IKMAA) last year.

In late June, A landmine explosion also in Soran administration’s Sidakan subdistrict killed a 24-year-old shepherd.

Every year during spring, people from urban areas flock to the countryside and mountainous regions for picnicking and harvesting wild herbs and plants, running the risk of encountering unexploded ordnance and sustaining injuries while navigating the rugged terrain.

Over 13,500 people have been killed or injured due to landmines in the Kurdistan Region over the decades, according to the Region’s mine agency.