OSCE patrol vehicle hits mine in Ukraine, one dead

By Ali Cura and Sibel Ugurlu

KIEV / ANKARA

One member of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) was killed and two others wounded when their vehicle struck a land mine in eastern Ukraine on Sunday, according to officials.

Ukrainian Counter-Terrorism Center said the incident took place at 10:17 local time (0717GMT) near the small village of Pryshyb in Luhansk region, which is controlled by pro-Russian separatists.

OSCE's monitoring mission in Ukraine said a patrol with six OSCE members and two armored vehicles were involved in the "serious" blast.

"As a result of this incident, one patrol member has died and two members have been taken to hospital for further examination," OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine said on its Twitter account.

OSCE Principal Deputy Chief Monitor Alexander Hug said the killed member was an American citizen and the injured were German and Czech nationals.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko vowed those behind the blast would be brought to account.

"Mission's safety and free movement must be guaranteed," said Poroshenko.

U.S. Department of State said it was "shocked and deeply saddened" by the death of an American who worked in Ukraine as a paramedic, extending condolences to the family and wishing for a quick recovery to those injured.

"This death underscores the increasingly dangerous conditions under which these courageous monitors work, including access restrictions, threats, and harassment," acting spokesman Mark Toner said in a statement.

"The United States urges Russia to use its influence with the separatists to allow the OSCE to conduct a full, transparent, and timely investigation," Toner added.

A Russian Foreign Ministry statement called the explosion a "provocation".

"It is clear that similar events and escalation of tension will benefit those not concerned with the implementation of the political, economic and social provisions of the Minsk Agreement," it said.

Meanwhile, the Turkish Foreign Ministry offered condolences to OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) in Ukraine.

"The incident demonstrates the difficult and dangerous nature of the duty the SMM staff perform. We stress that their work should be facilitated and their safety and security be provided for under any circumstance," the ministry statement said.

Ukraine has been wracked by a conflict since March 2014 following Russia’s annexation of Crimea after an illegal independence vote.

*Fatih Hafiz Mehmet from Ankara and Canberk Yuksel from New York contributed to this report.