Seven civilians have been missing for over a month after traveling to tow a stranded vehicle near the site of recent clashes in Karen State’s Myawaddy Township, according to family members and local sources.

The missing individuals—residents of Wah Mee Hta village in the Thaybawboe village tract—left on July 10 in a tractor to retrieve a vehicle that was stuck on the Mekanei–Hpalu road. They have not been heard from since.

Local sources indicate the men inadvertently encountered advancing Myanmar military troops along a road section affected by active fighting and were subsequently detained.

"They went with a tractor to help pull out a vehicle stuck in the mud, unaware that the road had been closed due to ongoing clashes," said the mother of one of the missing men. "When they didn't return after several days, we began searching. We were later told that military soldiers had arrested them."

Unconfirmed reports suggested that the troops may have killed the missing men. However, members of the military-aligned Karen Border Guard Force (BGF) claimed the detainees remain alive in military custody, suggesting that the families might secure their release through financial negotiation.

"Some BGF members told us they are still alive and could be released if money is paid, but they could not guarantee it," said a local leader from Wah Mee Hta village. "We are currently unable to verify these claims independently."

The missing individuals have been identified as Saw Kaka, 14; Saw Sein Kalar, 20; Saw Than Zaw Lin, 20; Saw Aung Nyein Chan, 21; Saw Kyaw Naing Win (also known as Saw Motor Car), 34; Saw Maung Thaung Aye, 46; and the tractor driver, Ko Dawei, 27.

The Mekanei–Hpalu road has been a hotspot for violence. On February 24, a military drone strike targeted Democratic Karen Benevolent Army (DKBA) personnel attempting to assist a broken-down civilian vehicle in the same area, killing two DKBA soldiers and three civilians.