SITTWE—Two civilians were injured after they stepped on a mine on Tuesday in Rakhine State’s Kyauktaw Township.
Two locals, aged 25 and 27, from the village of Nga Pyaw Chaung in Kyauktaw suffered injuries to their legs, arms and shoulders and are receiving medical treatment at the local hospital in Kyauktaw, Ko Nyi Pu, a member of the Kyauktaw-based social organization Phyu Sin Meitta told The Irrawaddy.
“They got serious injuries on their legs, but are not in a critical condition. We have arranged to send them to Sittwe Hospital if necessary,” said Ko Nyi Pu.
The two men, together with some 30 other residents of the village went to a mountain to the west of the village to collect timber to be used for building houses. The pair stepped on a mine on their way back home, said Ko Maung Maung Than who was part of the group collecting timber.
“The logs are quite big so we brought over 30 people to carry them. We used the same route to go to the mountain, but nothing happened. The two stepped on the mine and the explosion occurred as the whole group came down the mountain carrying logs,” Ko Maung Maung Thein told The Irrawaddy.
Locals said that the Myanmar military, or Tatmadaw, and the Arakan Army (AA) had clashed in the same area some two months ago.
The Irrawaddy was not able to obtain a comment from the Kyauktaw Township administrator, but police officer Thant Zin of Kyauktaw Township Police Station confirmed the incident.
In a previous incident on May 8, a 30-year-old man from Khamaung Village in Kyauktaw Township was also seriously injured in a mine explosion in the mountains outside his village.
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