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Eight killed in Ethiopian landmine blast

A bus has hit a landmine near the disputed Ethiopian-Eritrean border, killing at least eight people and wounding 27 others.

The explosion occurred at 10.15am Irish time in a road near Humera, which lies in the northwestern tip of Ethiopia along the border with Eritrea and Sudan.

Ethiopia and Eritrea remain deadlocked in a border standoff following their 1998-2000 war that left 70,000 people dead.

Eritrea has repeatedly accused its bigger and larger neighbour of bracing for a new border war, a claim dismissed by Addis Ababa.

An estimated 200,000 troops from both sides are deployed along the border, fueling international fears of a new flare-up.

A UN-appointed border panel, part of a 2000 peace deal, was dissolved in November with Ethiopia refusing to recognise a ruling that granted Eritrea a flashpoint border town.