The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) today expressing profound grief over the killing of five children and serously injuring of over a dozen in Lakki Marwat in a mortal shell blast on Saturday. Initial investigations suggested the children found the unexploded ordnance in a field, mistaking it for a plaything, and brought it to their village where it detonated.
In a statement, UNICEF expressing profound grief over the fatalities and offering sympathies to the victims” families and community. A UNICEF representative stated, “No young person should become a casualty of landmines or unexploded weaponry. Kids are particularly at risk – they are less apt to recognize the hazards and more prone to serious harm or death when such devices explode.’
UNICEF denounced the continued existence of explosive remnants of war in populated areas, stressing the critical need to mitigate the danger they present. Since January 2025, UNICEF, partnering with the provincial administration, has provided explosive ordnance risk education to 9,500 children throughout Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. These initiatives aim to educate children, guardians, and teachers on identifying and staying away from hazardous war remnants.
UNICEF appealed to the Pakistani government and its collaborators to strengthen efforts to expand risk education programs and guarantee all children have access to vital safety information. “Faster action is crucial to remove all existing mines and unexploded weaponry, safeguard children, aid survivors in their healing, and protect every child”s right to mature in a protected setting,” the statement concluded. The tragedy serves as a stark reminder of the enduring perils posed by conflict, especially to the most susceptible members of society.