A guesthouse and three homes in Arakan State’s Kyauktaw were damaged by an artillery shell at around 2 a.m. on Saturday, according to locals.
An artillery shell fired from an unknown direction fell on the “Thein Hsan” guesthouse in Kyauktaw’s Ywama Ward and Ko Sein Aung Phyu, a 27-year-old man who was staying at the guesthouse, was hit by shattered glass and injured in the abdomen, said an unnamed guesthouse employee in a position of authority.
“The heavy weapon was fired at about 2 a.m. The brick walls and the windows at the upper end of the guesthouse were broken by the shelling. A guest sustained injuries to his abdomen,” the employee added.
The roofs and walls of three homes in Shanywa and Ywama wards were also damaged by the shelling, but no casualties were reported.
“Previously, people in rural areas took refuge in urban areas due to fighting. Heavy weapons were fired [on Saturday] without fighting in urban areas. We are now worried about our safety due to the shelling,” said a Kyauktaw resident.
Locals were reluctant to assign blame as to which group fired the artillery as it was the dead of night when the shelling occurred. DMG continues to investigate the details of the incident.
