Shafaq News/ On Monday, state media reported that at least six people were killed in a mine explosion in southern Syria.

The Syrian News Agency, SANA, said that the explosion hit civilians on their way to hunt truffles in the countryside, noting that the accident was caused by a landmine planted by ISIS in Deir Ez-Zor Province, in the south of the country. The area was a former stronghold of the militants.

Yesterday, Sunday, SANA reported that six people - also on their way to search for truffles - were killed by an anti-tank mine left behind by ISIS in the desert of the eastern countryside of Homs.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights estimated the death toll on Sunday at nine people.

The Observatory said that the incident raised the number of civilians reportedly killed this year due to the explosion of mines and other explosive objects left over from the war to 139, including 30 children.

Last February, ISIS sleeper cells attacked workers collecting truffles near the central city of Sukhna, killing at least 53 people, mostly workers and several Syrian government security forces.

Truffle hunting is a popular activity in some parts of Syria. Many Syrians, including women and children, forage for desert truffles, which are in season from February to April, to sell between $5 and $10 in a country where the average monthly salary is around $18.

The Syrian desert is renowned for producing some of the best quality truffles in the world.