Austrian Armed Forces Demining Service: 17 Tons of War Material Disposed of Since the Beginning of the Year

In the first eight months, there were 802 reports and notifications to the EMD, with August alone leading to 113 operations, the Ministry of Defense reported. In the entire previous year, 34 tons were secured and disposed of.

According to the Ministry of Defense, there were particularly many cases this year in Lower Austria, with significantly more than 55 operations recorded there in March and June alone. In Upper Austria, March was the busiest month with 26 operations, while in Vienna, EMD experts were deployed 24 times in May.

In Styria, there were a total of 95 operations from the beginning of the year to August, and 60 in Carinthia. In Burgenland, the EMD reported 44 operations in the same period, and 34 in Tyrol. The last two were Salzburg with eleven and Vorarlberg with nine operations. Notably, according to the ministry, January of this year saw 3,458.70 kilograms of war material secured.

War relics are by no means a thing of the past

"These numbers make it impressively clear that the issue of war relics is by no means a thing of the past," emphasized Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner (ÖVP). The head of the department thanked the specialists, "who stand ready for the population day and night."

The EMD is an independent department within the Federal Ministry of Defense. At the beginning of 2013, it was transferred from the Ministry of the Interior to the Ministry of Defense as part of a structural reorganization. The EMD experts specialize in all types of ammunition manufactured before 1955 and found on Austrian territory. The EMD is on call 24 hours a day.

(APA/Red)

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