Eight killed in Ethiopian landmine blast: state TV
ADDIS ABABA, (AFP) — A bus hit a landmine near the disputed Ethiopian-Eritrean border on Thursday, killing at least eight people and wounding 27 others, state media reported.
"Eight people died when a landmine planted by Eritrean government-backed elements blew up a public bus in Humera," Ethiopian Television reported, although there was no claim of responsibility for planting the device.
"Another eleven people suffered light injuries while sixteen others suffered heavy injuries from the blast," the report added.
The explosion occurred at 7:15 am (1015 GMT) in a road near Humera, which lies in the northwestern tip of Ethiopia along the border with Eritrea and Sudan.
Ethiopia and Eritrea remain deadlocked in a border standoff following their 1998-2000 war that left 70,000 people dead.
Eritrea has repeatedly accused its bigger and larger neighbour of bracing for a new border war, a claim dismissed by Addis Ababa as a bid by Asmara to divert attention from its internal woes.
An estimated 200,000 troops from both sides are deployed along the border, fueling international fears of a new flare-up.
A UN-appointed border panel, part of a 2000 peace deal, was dissolved in November with Ethiopia refusing to recognise a ruling that granted Eritrea a flashpoint border town.
