A 35-year old woman was injured in her home when a mine exploded just outside a village in Rakhine State, which has seen an upturn in fighting between junta forces and the ethnic Arakan Army (AA) in the past four months.
A resident of Kyauktaw township, who declined to be named for safety reasons, said the blast happened on Thursday night near the fence of the junta’s 9th Military Operations Command (MOC-9) Headquarters adjacent to Pa Laung village.
“She went downstairs after praying. A mine exploded about 30 feet (9 meters) away from her but a fragment hit her right in the chest,” said the local, adding that the cause of the blast is still unknown.
The injured woman was taken to Kyauktaw Hospital for treatment, residents said.
Fighting between junta forces and the AA intensified in July after a two-year lull. A total of 11 civilians were killed and 38 injured due to mines and artillery blasts since then, according to data compiled by RFA.
Kyauktaw township residents have borne much of the brunt of civilian casualties caused by the resumed hostilities. On Sept. 21, four members of the same family were injured in shelling by MOC-9 in Na Ga Yar village. Four days later, a seven-year-old child was killed and a man was injured when shells hit the same village.