Widespread panic has spread among locals in the Naikkhyangchhari border area of Bandarban, adjacent to the Myanmar border, following the sound of two loud explosions an hour apart.
The sounds of these two explosions were heard between around 1:30pm and 3:30pm on Monday.
Local sources reported that the sound of the first explosion in the afternoon came from just inside Myanmar, between border pillars 43 and 44. Then, around 3:30 PM, another powerful explosion was heard from the same direction. The second explosion was so intense that the ground in the border area shook for a few seconds.
Mohammad Imam Hossain and Zobayer, residents of the Jamchhari area of Naikkhyangchhari Sadar Union, said, “Both times, the sound of the explosion was so loud that it felt like something large had exploded very close by. This created fear among the local residents, and many moved to safer places.”
Md Ayub, a local madrasa teacher in the Chera Math area, informed, “We were all frightened during the 3:30pm explosion. The sound was so powerful that the doors and windows of the house shook. It felt like the explosion had happened right beside the border.”
However, the exact reason for the explosions could not be confirmed. Locals suspect it could be due to the use of heavy weapons in clashes between the three armed insurgent groups currently active inside Myanmar. Others suggest it could also be the explosion of a landmine planted by the Arakan Army near the border.
When asked about the two consecutive explosions at the border, Lieutenant Colonel SM Khairul Alam, Commander of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) 34 Battalion, told TIMES of Bangladesh, “It has been learned that local residents of the border area heard the sounds of two explosions coming from inside Myanmar in the afternoon and evening. The matter is being seriously monitored. So far, no reports of any damage or impact on the Bangladesh border have been received. The situation is normal, but alertness has been maintained at the border.”
Prior to this, on Saturday, in the afternoon, a major clash occurred between the Arakan Army and armed Rohingya insurgents on the Naf River adjacent to the Myanmar border.
At that time, in the Tetchhibridge area of Ward No 3 in Teknaf’s Hoaikyong Union, bullets fired from across the border hit a local computer shop, spreading panic among residents.
Simultaneously, a woman named Chenuara Begum from that area was shot in the leg while walking in her yard. Locals rescued the injured Chenuara and admitted her to Cox’s Bazar Sadar Hospital.
On Monday, 27 October, in the afternoon, panic spread anew across the border due to the sounds of two powerful explosions an hour apart opposite the Naikkhyangchhari border. Consequently, anxiety and unease are now prevailing across the entire border area from Teknaf to Naikkhyangchhari.
