A mass murder in Hopin Town, Monghnyin Township, Kachin State, claimed the lives of 6 people, including 3 children.

Officials launched an investigation at 9:45 a.m. on March 5 after locals reported a murder at a house in Myoma (South) Ward, Hopin Town.

Police, ward administrators, and other officials arrived at the house following reports of a man’s death. They soon discovered that the victims were the man, his wife, their three children under 11, and a housemaid—six people in total, all murdered.

“The family ran a money-lending business. The murder happened in the morning, and everyone in the house was brutally hacked to death,” a local told KNG.

The head of the household, U Kyaw Myat Oo (41), was found dead in the living room with severe hack wounds, while Maung Bhone Myat Kyaw (11) and housemaid Ma Mee Mee (42) were discovered dead in a bedroom.

In a separate bedroom, the bodies of U Kyaw Myat Oo’s wife, Ma Ei Phyu (37), and their daughters, Yu Wadi Kyaw (9) and Yoon Wadi Kyaw (5), were found.

The bodies were transported to Pibaw Cottage Hospital, as Hopin Town has no coroner, and the case remains under investigation. No arrests have been made so far.

Locals speculated that the murderers could be borrowers who had taken money from the family at high interest.

“The fact that the children’s ears were chopped off suggests this wasn’t just a robbery, but a murder carried out of grudge,” a Hopin resident said.

Hopin had seen murders involving 1 or 2 victims before, but this is the first mass murder claiming 6 lives.