Syria land mine blast kills 16 truffle hunters: monitor

BEIRUT: At least 16 people searching for truffles in the north Syria desert were killed Saturday after their vehicle hit a land mine, a war monitor said.
Between February and April each year, hundreds of impoverished Syrians risk their lives searching for truffles in the vast Syrian desert, or Badia — a known hideout for jihadists that is also littered with mines.