A 13 year old boy, Artur Khudatyan, was injured by cluster bomb two days ago, Roly Clark, Programme Manager of the HALO Trust in Nagorno Karabakh, informed NEWS.am Correspondent.

“I learnt of a further example of the importance of HALO’s work in Karabakh only this morning when I was told that, sadly, a 13 year old boy, Artur Khudatyan, was injured by cluster bomb two days ago.”

According to Clark, Artur found the cluster bomb just outside Hin Taghlar village where he lives in Hadrut Region. He then collected it and tried to open it with an axe in the yard of his house when it exploded. This is the sixth accident of the year in Nagorno Karabakh, and the fourth in the last two months.

“Artur is currently in Stepanakert Hospital and is extremely lucky to be alive: the cluster bomb does not appear to have fully exploded as if it had it’s almost certain that Artur would now be dead,” he explained.

Clark also stressed that the only reliable way to stop accidents permanently is to remove the threat completely by clearing it.

As NEWS.am reported earlier, the international humanitarian organization Halo Trust needs $400,000 to continue mine clearing activities in Nagorno-Karabakh, said the program manager for The HALO Trust in the NKR Roly Clark, on Dec. 15.

The HALO Trust demining program in Karabakh was funded by the UK government, but in January 2011 the organization’s budget will be cut. 

For 2011, Halo is $400,000 short. As a result HALO will lose almost third of its capacity (65 deminers will be made redundant) which will mean that fewer minefields and cluster bombs strikes will be cleared. The demining in the NKR is performed by local residents, whose salary is $400 per month.

Clark called on various donor organizations, as well as the Armenian Diaspora and the Government of Armenia to support the program.

According to him, during 2010, there were five mine incidents. The work will continue even if the amount is not found, but at a slower pace and with 65 less de-miners, said Roly Clark.