One person died instantly while three others were seriously injured in Chipata district, eastern part of Zambia, after a landmine they were trying to extract mercury from exploded, according to local media reports Friday. Eastern province police chief Mary Chikwanda who confirmed the incident said the men were trying to extract mercury from the landmine which they picked in Mozambique. According to eyewitness Zea Shonga, the four men visited Soweto market with the device and asked a welder to open it, but the welder refused to carry out the request since he did not know the device and asked the men to do it on their own. It was in that process of trying to open the device that the landmine exploded. Some of the men lost their hands and legs while one had his stomach ripped open , Shonga explained. St. France Mission Hospital executive director Shila Parkinson said Godfrey Zulu , 31, whose stomach was ripped open was in a critical condition, while the other two are said to be in a stable condition.
