At least 16 people have been killed in northern Syria while hunting for truffles, according to a UK-based monitor.

The civilians were killed when their vehicle hit a mine in a former stronghold of the Islamic State (IS) group, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported.

“Sixteen civilians including at least nine women were killed in the explosion,” the monitor said, adding that “others were seriously injured”. The incident occurred in the desert in Raqqa province.

IS, which took control of entire sections of the country from 2014, was territorially defeated in March 2019 by an international coalition led by the United States and Kurdish forces.

But cells linked to the group scattered across the desert regularly carry out deadly attacks, particularly during the rainy season between February and April, the only time of year when sand truffles can be collected.

Sand truffles fetch high prices in Syria, which has been in the midst of an economic crisis after almost 13 years of war.

IS militants often attack residents who go looking for truffles in isolated areas, according to SOHR.

Despite frequent warnings from authorities, the high-risk activity continues.

Eighteen people, most of them civilian truffle collectors, were killed on 6 March in an attack attributed to IS in eastern Syria.