A rural woman from Ain Gyan village in Sa Nyin village tract under Myebon township of Arakan in western Myanmar was injured seriously today in a landmine explosion. The victim has been identified as Daw Shwe Khaing Kyi (20), said a village leader.

“She (Shwe Khaing Kyi) has been sent to the nearby Ann township hospital with serious leg injuries. The incident took place at 11 am when she went to the jungle to pick mushrooms,” added the rural leader.

Her husband also went to the jungle ahead of her but he escaped the explosion. As she was passing through the jungle road, Shwe Khaing Kyi stepped on the landmine and it exploded which injured both of her legs.

As there was no report of recent fighting between Myanmar security forces (Tatmadaw) and Arakan Army members, villagers remain clueless who could have planted the landmine in that locality. But they informed that an artillery battery of security forces was recently stationed there.

A local woman commented that the landmine explosions continued causing a lot of difficulties to villagers as they have to go out for cutting bamboo, timber or woods and many of them had faced the explosions.

They are depended on the jungle resources for their survival, but they have now stopped going there.

Narinjara tried to authenticate the person involved in the incident and calls were made to responsible individuals along with police officers in Myebon township, but nobody responded to the telephone calls.