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1 Army staff sergeant wounded in DMZ explosion accident

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By Yonhap
  • Published KST
This undated photo shows a mine warning sign inside the Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas in Yeoncheon County, Gyeonggi Province. Yonhap

This undated photo shows a mine warning sign inside the Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas in Yeoncheon County, Gyeonggi Province. Yonhap

One soldier was injured Thursday morning after an explosion occurred inside the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas, officials said.

The explosion took place at 9:20 a.m. on the western front of the DMZ in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, for unknown reasons, according to officials.

A 24-year-old Army staff sergeant, who was on a mission to detect land mines on the southern side of the inter-Korean border at the time, sustained what is presumed to be an ankle fracture due to the blast.

He was wearing anti-mine protective gear and sustained non-life-threatening injuries, officials said. Military authorities are investigating the exact cause of the accident.