One of the victims died instantly in the blast in the Karanovac settlement of Sprecansko polje area, while one of the two who were seriously injured died on the way to hospital.

The three were part of a team from de-mining company DEMIRA from the northern Bosnian town of Orasje.

The incident came a day after a 35-year-old de-miner was killed in an explosion during mine-removal operations in Stanari village near the Bosnian town of Doboj, also in the country's north.

The victim, identified as Goran Djuric, died instantly when an antipersonnel booby trap exploded in a mine field near the village.

Before the incident, Djuric's team had managed to remove more than 120 mines from an area near the village.

Police and inspectors from Bosnia's Mine Action Centre (MAC) are to investigate both accidents.

Bosnia's Prime Minister Nikola Spiric on Tuesday officially marked the beginning of a campaign to raise funds for the continuation of mine removal activities across the country.

The campaign titled "For Another Safe Step," was launched in cooperation with three of the country's telecommunication companies and the donations would be made by telephones.

Spiric called on Bosnia-Herzegovina's citizens, but also on companies, to call the offered numbers and donate one convertible mark (65 US cents) for de-mining.

Bosnia-Herzegovina, according to some recent statistics, is the most mine-contaminated country in Europe, with nearly 4 per cent of the territory still planted with landmines and other explosive devices.

The former separation lines remain the most dangerous, putting the safety of some 900,000 people living there at risk.

More than 470 people have been killed and more than 1,100 injured in mine explosions in Bosnia-Herzegovina since the end of the country's 1992-1995 war.


Agencies