ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — One person was injured in an explosion in Erbil’s Sidakan area, its mayor confirmed to Rudaw on Sunday.

Ihsan Chalabi, the mayor of Sidakan area, told Rudaw’s Bakhtyar Qadir that the injured man had gone to the area to pick wild spring vegetables when he triggered TNT to explode.

The official added that the road the incident took place on was not considered dangerous before, but has recently been littered with mines due to tensions between Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) guerillas and the Turkish army.

Bahram Arif Yasin, the head of Halgurd command, told Qadir that they also believe PKK fighters have planted explosives and TNT on certain roads. He says local authorities have attempted to block them off to prevent people from being harmed, but locals regularly ignore the warnings of danger.

In a similar incident in March, one Peshmerga fighter was killed and another wounded due to a TNT explosive in that area.

The area is frequently bombarded by Turkey due to the presence of the PKK fighters who have laid mines in unpopulated areas to prevent the advance of Turkish forces.

Turkish warplanes last month targeted a civilian vehicle carrying four passengers in Sinin village in the Sidakan sub district, injuring two passengers, its mayor told Rudaw.

Rudaw