SITTWE, Rakhine State—Two women allegedly hit by fire from Myanmar military forces on Friday died at the hospital the following day, according to local residents.
The two victims, Daw Nwe Nwe Oo, 39, of Tha-yet-tapin Village in Kyauktaw Township, and Daw Than Aye Kyi, 53, of Bu-ywet-ma-nyo Village in Mrauk-U Township, were seriously wounded in shootings on Friday.
“My sister died around 5 a.m. on Saturday from wounds inflicted by the Tatmadaw [Myanmar military],” Daw Malone Che, sister of Daw Than Aye Kyi, told The Irrawaddy.
Daw Than Aye Kyi was hit in her throat by a stray bullet while she was caring for a pregnant woman at a local hospital in Tein Nyo Village in Mrauk-U.
Daw Nwe Nwe Oo was hit in the head when an artillery shell landed on her house while she was hiding inside together with her family members. As the roof collapsed, three of her family members were also injured.
A military convoy travelling on the Yangon-Sittwe road from Mrauk-U opened fire along the road after they were attacked with remote-detonated mines near Bu-ywet-ma-nyo Village around 5 a.m. on Friday, according to local villagers.
A total of 16 local residents from Tein Nyo and Taung-U villages in Mrauk-U and Tha-yet-tapin Village in Kyauktaw were injured in the shootings. Among the victims were children as young as 10, as well as civilians from a camp for displaced persons and a hospital in Tein Nyo.
Following the incident, hospital staff and patients at Tein Nyo Hospital were evacuated to Mrauk-U District Hospital.
Military spokesperson Brigadier General Zaw Min Tun said the Tatmadaw troops were shooting in self-defense.
“Tatmadaw troops are taking security measures in those areas. If they come under attack, they may return fire,” he told The Irrawaddy. “If they came under military attack, they might have returned fire at the scene.”
Rakhine State lawmaker U Tun Tha Sein, a resident of Taung-U Village, expressed concern for the civilians affected.
“If the people who have fled from clashes are still not safe, you can imagine how they feel now,” he told The Irrawaddy.
Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko.
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