You've accidentally stumbled onto
an old minefield.
Surrounded by land mines
buried somewhere in the ground,
you don't know where to step.
One wrong move
and you could be blown into pieces.
The horrors of war remain long
after the fighting has stopped.
Worldwide, over 100 million land mines
are lying underneath the ground,
waiting for someone to step on them.
And unfortunately,
90% of land mine victims are civilians,
and half of them are children.
Africa is the continent
with the highest number of land mines.
And Zimbabwe
has an estimated 5,500 land mines
per kilometer (0.6 mi).
It only takes one minute
to bury 1,000 of them.
But even with current technology,
it would take over 1,000 years
to clear all the landmines in the world.
Land mines are explosive devices
designed to detonate
from the weight of vehicles
or people.
They’re placed under the ground
where they could hide quietly for years.
When they're triggered,
they project metal and debris
that can destroy the victim's
limbs and even kill them.
If you find yourself on a minefield,
freeze exactly where you are.
Let everyone around you know
so they’ll stop moving too
and won’t detonate an explosive.
Yell for help.
"Mines..."
And keep in mind
that phone or radio signals
can trigger remotely operated mines.
If you have a GPS,
use it so your rescuers
know your exact location.
But try not to use a two-way radio
since radio waves
will trigger certain types of mines.
In 2004, in Afghanistan,
two security forces airmen were patrolling
and became trapped
in an unmarked minefield.
Six explosions surrounded the vehicle,
destroying their heavily
armored Humvee's tires
so they could not escape.
Two hours later,
the airmen were rescued without injury.
They were able to survive due
to their military training
and ballistic-resistant vehicle.
Considering the damage to the Humvee,
they wouldn't have survived without it.
So, unless you've had military training
or have access to a Humvee,
you'd better stay out of mine fields.
Land mines are ridiculously cheap.
Their cost of production
could be as low as $3,
but to get rid of all
these deadly threats
would cost $100 billion.
If you're traveling through
an unfamiliar area,
get local information
about the land mine risk.
It’s important to know that there could
be signs warning of land mines,
but you may not recognize them.
That's why you'll need to memorize them.
A skull-and-crossbones
and a red triangle
are internationally recognized
symbols for minefields,
but sometimes the marker identifying
that mines are present
may only be a bunch of sticks
or even a pile of rocks.
A rat could be your best friend
in this situation.
But not any rat,
only the African giant pouched rat.
They have lousy eyesight,
but their excellent sense of smell
can detect as little as 28 g (1 oz)
of explosive material.
Their laser-like focus
on sniffing explosives
helps them clear an area in 20 minutes
that would take humans 25 hours to do.
If you don't have a Humvee,
a specially-trained rat,
or a rescue crew to help you,
you’ll need to escape the minefield
on your own.
Look for footprints or tire tracks.
These are safe areas to walk on.
If they weren't safe,
the people or vehicles
stepping onto them before you
would have triggered explosions.
You could also follow
your footsteps back to
where you entered the minefield.
If an explosive detonates,
drop to the ground immediately.
Land mines explode upward,
so you'll be safer
if you're closer to the ground.
You did it.
Against all odds,
you managed to survive a minefield.
But what about another type of explosion?
What should you do
if a grenade lands at your feet?
Find out here