A Greek Cypriot farmer drove on Monday over a landmine planted in 1974 as he was cultivating his fields next to the buffer zone separating the government controlled area of Cyprus from the Turkish-controlled part of Cyprus.

The farmer suffered a shock from the explosion but was otherwise unhurt. His tractor sustained extensive damage, authorities said.

The mine is believed to have been washed by rainwater from a minefield of the Turkish army, which controlled northern part of Cyprus in 1974, reacting to a coup engineered by officers of the Greek military junta.

A United Nations spokesman said the incident happened only meters outside the buffer zone which is controlled by the UN military force in Cyprus.

The head of Mammari village, next to the buffer zone 10 km west of Nicosia, said the mine must have been carried by rainwater from the Turkish minefields.

The United Nations have de-mined several minefields in the area but warned people to stay away from the buffer zone. Early this year it said that a whole mine field had been carried by rainwater several meters from its original site and mines were scattered around.