A woman was killed when a mine exploded as she was searching for her missing husband in Chin state’s Paletwa township on Wednesday.
Locals identified her as Nan Long Kham, 43, and her husband as Aye Khing from Ah Baung Thar village.
“The landmine blew off both her legs and critically injured her body and hands,” a local, who did not want to be identified for security reasons, told RFA.
Residents said it was not clear whether the landmine was planted by junta troops or the AA, neither of which has claimed responsibility.
RFA has also been unable to independently confirm who planted the device.
Locals said the woman’s body was found 300 meters (0.2 miles) from the opposite side of the stream to the village. They buried her the same day.
The woman’s husband is the head of the village’s Post-Primary School. Residents said Aye Khing did not return home after going to pick bamboo shoots near the village on Sunday.
Paletwa township, in the western state which shares a border with Bangladesh, has seen intense fighting between junta forces and the local Arakan Army, particularly in the past month as the AA tries to take control of Paletwa.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) reported on Aug. 10 that a total of 162 civilians were caught in blasts by landmines, or unexploded ordnance, in the five months from January to the end of May. There were 83 explosions, killing 33 people and injuring 129.