Bosnia blast kills two mine clearers, injures one

SARAJEVO, March 18 (Reuters) - Two Bosnian mine clearers were killed and one seriously injured in a landmine blast in northern Bosnia on Tuesday, the second such accident this week, Fena news agency reported.

"Two deminers died instantly when an anti-infantry mine went off," Pavo Vukovic, head of a private demining company, told Fena. He said the injured mine clearer was admitted to hospital and was in a stable condition.

On Monday, a 35-year-old deminer was killed during a mine-removal operation in the northern Stanari village.

Almost 4 percent of the Balkan country remains planted with landmines left over from the 1992-95 war, endangering the lives of 900,000 people living nearby, said Prime Minister Nikola Spiric, launching a new anti-mine campaign.

Spiric said 480 people were killed and almost 1,140 injured in mine accidents in Bosnia since the war ended.

Experts say it will take at least 10 years to clear the mines and some 80 million Bosnian marka ($64.5 million) per year to fund the demining. (Reporting by Maja Zuvela; Editing by Janet Lawrence)