TALUQAN, Afghanistan, April 18 (Xinhua) -- One child lost his life and four others sustained injuries as a mine found by the ill-fated children exploded in northern Takhar province, spokesman for provincial government Senatullah Timori said Wednesday.

"The ill-fated children found an unexploded explosive device in Tepa Takham village of Khawja Ghar district Tuesday afternoon and begun playing with when the device exploded suddenly killing one innocent child on the spot and injuring four others," Timori told Xinhua.

He also noted that the mine might have been left over from the past wars in the area.

Afghanistan is among the most mine-contaminated countries in the world left over the past more than three decades of wars and civil strife.

The unexploded explosive devices often claim the lives of civilians, especially children in the insurgency-battered country.