Man severely injured in Kyaukphyu Twsp landmine blast

By Admin 30 Mar 2024

DMG Newsroom
30 March 2024, Kyaukphyu

A man was seriously injured after stepping on a landmine near a local police battalion in Arakan State’s Kyaukphyu Township on Saturday.

U Ko Win, 45, from Ohn Taw village was walking to cropland in the mountains near Police Battalion No. 32 around 1 a.m. when he stepped on a landmine. He lost his left leg in the mine blast and was also injured in his right leg by shrapnel.

“There are a lot of jackfruit trees on the cropland. But junta soldiers are often present in the cropland, and people don’t usually go there. U Ko Win went to fetch some vegetables at midnight. As he did not come back, people went to search for him in the morning, and found him injured,” said a resident of Ohn Taw village.

U Ko Win has been admitted to Kyaukphyu Township Hospital, where he is in critical condition.

One Ohn Taw resident was killed and another lost his right leg from the knee down after stepping on a landmine in the mountains near the police battalion on March 22.

“There are a lot of croplands where villagers are growing there. Some dare not go there, but some take risks to continue to work on their croplands, and they have met a sad fate,” said a female resident of Ohn Taw village.

There have been at least eight landmine explosions since January in Kyaukphyu, killing two and injuring seven. Mine blasts have typically taken place near junta positions and places where junta troops had raided and stayed.

Civilian casualties inflicted by mine blasts in both urban and rural areas continue to rise during the latest fighting in Arakan State. Mine blasts have killed or injured more than 20 civilians in Kyaukphyu, Minbya, Myebon, Kyauktaw, Rathedaung, Maungdaw, Buthidaung and Ann townships since renewed fighting broke out in November of last year.