A Bangladeshi man was seriously injured after a landmine exploded inside Myanmar near the Bangladesh-Myanmar border in Naikhongchhari upazila of Bandarban on Tuesday.
According to sources, the explosion occurred around 2pm, about 100 metres inside Myanmar between border pillars 46 and 47, near the Aung Tha Pyay border post in an area controlled by the Arakan Army (AA).
The injured man, Mohammad Abdul Karim, 40, son of Moksul Hossain, is a resident of Ward No. 7 of Jaruliachhari in Naikhongchhari upazila.
Local residents rescued Karim after the explosion severed his left leg below the knee and took him to Cox’s Bazar Sadar Hospital for treatment, where he is undergoing treatment.
Confirming the incident, Lieutenant Colonel Md Faizul Kabir, commanding officer of Naikhongchhari Battalion (11 BGB), said the victim was seriously injured in the explosion inside Myanmar on Tuesday afternoon.
He said BGB received information about the incident from local residents, who rescued the injured man and took him to hospital.
The BGB official added that preliminary information from local sources suggested the victim might have been involved in smuggling or drug-related activities in the border area. However, he said the matter is being verified by the relevant authorities.
Law enforcement agencies have repeatedly warned people against entering border areas unnecessarily, citing the ongoing conflict inside Myanmar and the widespread presence of landmines, which continue to pose serious risks to civilians.
The latest incident follows several similar explosions along the border in recent months.
On 24 June, Shafiul Alam, 35, a resident of Rezu Amtali in Ghumdhum Union of Naikhongchhari, was critically injured in a landmine explosion in a hilly border area and died on the way to hospital.
Earlier, on 9 June, Abdul Khalek, 30, a resident of C Block of the Kutupalong-1 Rohingya camp in Ukhiya, was killed in a landmine blast near Border Reference Marker (BRM) 40. On 2 June, Satnaing Tanchangya, 12, was killed after an abandoned mortar shell exploded near the Tuingajhiri border area in Ghumdhum.
Before that, on 24 May, three members of the Tanchangya community were killed in a landmine explosion between border pillars 41 and 42 along the Bangladesh-Myanmar border.
