3 killed by sea mine explosions at beaches in Odesa Oblast
Three people were killed by sea mines while swimming in prohibited areas on the Black Sea coast in Odesa Oblast, regional governor Oleh Kiper said on Aug. 10.
One man was killed at a beach about 60 kilometers south of the port city of Odesa, while another man and a woman were killed at a beach in Zatoka, further south, according to local authorities.
"This proves once again that being in water areas uncleared (from the mines) is deadly dangerous," Kiper said in a Telegram post.
Russia has deployed sea mines in the Black Sea – where Odesa Oblast sits – since the beginning of the full-scale war, with the U.K. saying that it is "almost certainly" Russia's intention to blame Ukraine for attacking civilian vessels. The drifting mines in the sea pose a threat to civilians in coastal areas.
Kiper urged the residents to only swim in the officially permitted areas due to the danger. He said that law enforcement officers were working at the sites to investigate the incidents.
The governor added that there are 32 officially permitted swimming areas in Odesa Oblast, including 30 in Odesa, and one each in Chornomorsk and Prymorske.
"Each of them has undergone a comprehensive inspection — the presence of shelters, the absence of mine danger both on land and in water," he said in the Telegram post.
