South Korea recovers 15 suspected North Korean landmines

South Korean authorities have recovered 15 suspected North Korean landmines found along coastal areas in a northwestern border county between July 23 and August 3, a local civil defence official said Friday.

Choi Young-ran, head of civil defence for the county, told AFP the mines were believed to have been washed away during the monsoon season and recent torrential rain. She said all 15 had been recovered.

The county sits at the mouth of the Han River estuary, which is divided by the border between North and South Korea. South Korea's military warned last month that heavy rainfall could wash explosives into rivers crossing the border and cause serious damage if they explode downstream.

County officials sent alerts in late July warning residents of the danger of North Korean mines along coastal areas. Officials said Wednesday they had not ruled out the possibility that more could arrive.

The Demilitarised Zone has divided the Koreas since the 1950-53 war ended with an armistice. Military data cited by Yonhap estimates that about 800,000 mines are buried around the area. In 2015, two South Korean soldiers patrolling the western DMZ lost limbs after being severely wounded by a North Korean mine, South Korea's military said.