How to Escape a Minesweeper: 15 Steps

2024 Author: Samantha Chapman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-02 02:12

In North Korea, Pakistan, Vietnam, Iraq and many other countries, "cultivated" fields with explosive mines are responsible for thousands of deaths every year. Even the old ones are as dangerous as if they had just been buried, capable of exploding at the slightest pressure. Read how to get out of a minefield and avoid entering it.

Steps

Part 1 of 3: Examine the Situation

Step 1. Look for signs that suggest the presence of mines

Most are hidden but if you know what to look for, you are more likely to avoid them. Don't let your guard down even for a moment if you find yourself in a minefield. Watch constantly to identify the following signs:

• Triggers. They will usually not be visible so you will need to look at the ground carefully. The strands are thin and difficult to notice.

• Signs of repairs on the road. For example, loose and resurfaced areas, road patches, ditches, etc. It may be a sign that mines have been installed nearby.

• Signs or carvings on trees, fences or poles. Those who place mines sometimes mark zones to protect their soldiers.

• Dead animals. Livestock and other animals often blow up on mines.

• Damaged vehicles. Abandoned cars, trucks, and other vehicles that look like they've been blown up by passing over a mine could indicate that others are nearby.

• Suspicious objects in trees and bushes. Not all mines are buried and not all unexploded devices are on the ground.

• Inexplicably interrupted or abnormal tire tracks.

• Wires moving from the main road. They could lead to partially buried primers.

• Strange features on the ground or signs not spontaneously present in nature. Plants can wilt or change color, rain could discolor soil that could sink or crack at the edges, or material covering mines could resemble a pile of debris.

• Civilians who stay away from certain places or outside certain buildings. Locals often know where mines or unexploded bombs are. Ask them for the exact locations.

  

  Step 2. Stop immediately

  The moment you realize you are in danger, immobilize. Don't take any more steps. Block yourself and evaluate the situation to be able to create an escape plan. The movements you will make from now on must be slow, measured and well thought out.

  

  Step 3. Call others and notify them

  As soon as you think you are in danger, make sure everyone knows so you can stop before someone detonates something. Shout "Stop!" and explains not to take a single step. If you are in charge of the situation you will have to teach others how to be able to leave the field safely; making sure everyone follows you as one wrong move could kill you.

  

  Step 4. Do not collect anything

  Many mines are traps. You think it's a helmet, a radio, a military artifact but look look … there's a mine inside. Games and food are also used as bait. If they haven't fallen from your hand, don't pick them up.

  Part 2 of 3: Escape Safely

  

  Step 1. Go back the way you took to enter

  If you suspect that you have ended up in a completely mined area or if you see any warning signs, a mine or something that looks like it, or worse if there is a detonation, stay calm and back off with extreme caution retracing your same footprints. If possible, don't turn around.

  • Look behind you as you walk and place your feet exactly where you placed them previously.

  • Continue until you are sure you are out of the danger zone, which is when you reach a road or traffic zone.

    

    Step 2. Test the terrain

    If you have to move forward for some reason or if you can't find your footsteps, you will have to test the ground to identify mines and move little by little. With extreme care, test the ground with your hands or feet, a knife or other object.

    • Instead of in a straight line, test at an angle as mines usually explode under vertical pressure.
    • Once a small area is safe, move forward and keep trying. It is safer to move slowly and on your stomach in a minefield than to walk on it.

    

    Step 3. If you can't, get help

    If you are not entirely sure where you have previously put your feet and you do not feel confident with the inch by inch method, take no chances by moving. A few centimeters can make the difference between life and death. Get help and have someone close to you do this work.

    • If you are alone, you can use your mobile for help.

    • Do not use two-way radios unless absolutely necessary. The signal could accidentally detonate some types of mines.

    • If you have no way of reaching someone, just wait. Don't try to "escape" or test the waters yourself if you don't know what you are doing.

      

      Step 4. Watch for signs of a possible detonation

      When you come out of a minefield, check the signs. Listen for any noises. You may hear a slight click if a plate has been stepped on or a ring moved or more likely, you may hear the 'pop' of the detonator. Also pay attention to how you feel. If you are alert and go slowly you may feel the tension of the trigger wire for example.

      

      Step 5. If the mine has been triggered, immediately drop to the ground

      Soldiers call it "belly on the ground" in jargon. If you realize that something has changed since the last step you took or someone is shouting an alarm signal, throw yourself down as quickly as possible. You may barely have a second before the explosion, but if you use it wisely you could escape serious injury or death. Mines explode upwards so it is safer to stay close to the ground.

      • If possible, lean back to protect your upper body from grenades. You could fall on another mine but the area behind you is theoretically safe since you just walked over it.

      • Don't try to escape from the blast: the debris flies at thousands of meters per second and the blast radius - the distance from the mine within which you can expect to be injured - can be over 3 km.

        

        Step 6. Mark the danger zone and report it to the authorities

        If you find a mine, make others avoid it by reporting it. Use symbols of international recognition if possible or local ones. Make sure you are in a protected area before applying the sign. Make a note of the danger zone and report it to the local police, military, or deminers.

        Part 3 of 3: Avoid the Minefields

        

        Step 1. Learn where there are minefields

        'Unexploded devices' is a term used to denote any type of explosive weapon such as bombs, grenades and mortars that have been used but have not yet exploded - "have failed" in short - and yet still have explosive potential.. Mines are sometimes considered such devices, but although they are the only ones to receive all the attention of the media, any type of unexploded device is dangerous. In some parts of the world, they are a big deal.

        

        Step 2. Learn about the history of the area

        If you're traveling to an unfamiliar area, learn some local history to determine if it's mine risk. Areas that have ongoing armed conflicts are at high risk, but remember that mines and bombs remain dangerous even after hostilities have ceased.

        In Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos for example, millions of unexploded mines and bombs are still present and even in Belgium for a long time in peace, tons of bombs, relics of the first and second world wars have been removed in recent years

        

        Step 3. Pay attention to the warning signs

        You can't always be sure that a minefield has been reported, but you should stay away from those with signs. The international symbols for minefields bear a skull with crossbones and a red triangle. Often but not always, the signs are red and marked "MINE" or "DANGER."

        • If there are no signs, there may often be makeshift signs such as painted rocks (red usually indicates the boundary of the field, white a safe path through it), piles of stones, flags on the ground, grass tied to sheaves or cords that surround the area.

        • Many minefields do not have signs so do not assume that no warning is a sign of safety.

          

          Step 4. Ask around

          Mine signs don't last long. Over time, plants, atmospheric agents, animals and people knock them down or hide them. In some areas, metal signs are considered a valuable building material, so it is not unusual to see them as patches for a roof. Moreover, in many places they are not even placed. However, the locals often know where mines and bombs are located so if you have to go to potentially dangerous territory, ask those who live there if the area is safe or better yet, get a guide.

          

          Step 5. Don't go off the beaten path

          Except in war situations, if people use a certain path, you can rest assured that it is not undermined. If you go out, danger could be around the corner.

          Advice

          • Most people are familiar with pressure-triggered mines, which are activated when a person steps on them or a vehicle passes over them, but there are many other mines whose detonation can be triggered differently. Some are activated when the pressure is "released" (ie when the object above the mine is removed); others use a cable, vibration or a magnet.
          • If in doubt, stay on the paved road because mines cannot be buried under the asphalt. But remember that (especially in war zones), mines can be placed in holes or wires can be pulled along the road and set off bombs on the edge.
          • Mines can be made of metal, plastic or wood so a metal detector does not ensure total safety.
          • Land mines are found both in fields and in mined areas. They are areas with safe borders but which are not always visible and mines have usually been placed for defensive purposes. The mined areas have no fixed boundaries and are therefore larger than the fields. The mined areas have a lower density of bombs (one mine here and one there) and are usually typical of war scenarios.

          Warnings

          • Never assume that a recently "cleared" area is safe. The removal of a mine is something difficult and complicated and it is not unusual for some land mine to remain hidden inside an area that has been declared cleared. One of the main reasons is that mines that have been buried for a long time can basically sink. Over the years, however, the freeze-thaw process can push those buried to the surface.
          • Remember that mines are not like the ones in the movies: you won't hear the "click" or generally have no signal before it activates. You can't escape a mine, especially one that uses a primary charge to lift it off the ground, before a second charge triggers that will scatter metal pellets and debris everywhere. These metal parts go very fast even compared to normal bullets and in every direction.
          • Do not throw rocks and do not try to detonate a mine or other unexploded devices. If there are mines, detonating one could set off a chain of explosions.
          • Do not use the radio frequencies of a two-way radio when in a minefield. The signal could accidentally detonate some types of mines or unexploded bombs. If there are other people in the minefield, move away at least 300 meters before trying to use the radio. Cell phone signals can in turn be able to detonate an explosive (often the insurgency and terrorists have used cell phones to detonate bombs from afar, but these detonations require a signal).
          • Don't play with mines or unexploded ordnance and don't try to destroy them unless you are experienced and equipped to do so.
          • Make sure you don't drop or drag anything along the ground when going backwards.
          • Never enter a field or mine area on purpose just because you are a trained deminer with the right equipment.