KIEV, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- Two Ukrainian government soldiers were killed and five others injured when a military vehicle hit a landmine in Ukraine's conflict-torn eastern Lugansk region Wednesday, authorities said.
The injured servicemen, who were not in a life-threatening condition, were taken to local hospitals, said the press service of the government military operation.
The accident occurred when the soldiers were performing a combat mission, the press service said, without giving further details.
The explosion marked the third deadly landmine accident in eastern Ukraine this year. One soldier was killed as a result of a landmine blast on Jan. 1 in the Lugansk region, while two others were killed on Jan. 10 in the neighboring Donetsk region.
About 700,000 hectares of battlefields in eastern Ukraine are littered with explosive devices following years of fighting between government troops and pro-independence insurgents.
The Ukrainian government has estimated it would take between 10 to 15 years to clear the landmines that had been planted during the conflict that started in April 2014.
