Land mines hinder Egypt's route to oil

CAIRO, March 12 (UPI) -- Hundreds of thousands of land mines and shells left behind from World War II are blocking Egypt's path to fresh gas and oil reserves.

Egypt is one of the world's top countries dealing with unexploded mines left behind from World War II, making the explosion of undiscovered mines a relatively common occurrence, Der Spiegel reported.

About 22 million land mines and other unexploded devices are thought to have been buried in Egypt's northwest region since the war more than six decades ago, said Fathy El-Shazly, national project director for mine clearance and development at the Ministry of International Cooperation.

"The northwest coast has great development potential; the area is one of the greatest promises for Egypt. But the mines deny access to a landmass of approximately 22 percent of the national territory," El-Shazly said.

A new anti-mine program reportedly is to begin in Egypt this year, and the government is set to improve treatment for mine explosion victims.