The blast took place at about 2:30 p.m. near Nam Teng Bridge, two miles east of Laikha Town while the two girls were playing with their three siblings, according to Sai Mon a recently elected member of the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy (SNLD) in Laikha.

An example of the explosive devices commonly used in
blast fishing in Shan State, which may be to blame for
the death of two children in Laikha Township. (S.H.A.N)

He said: “Five children were playing with an explosive that they had found nearby, when it went off. The explosion killed two girls and wounded three other children.”

The two girls killed in the explosion were eight and 13 years old.

Sai Mon said the explosion was “very powerful” and that it had rendered the victims almost unrecognisable.

Local authorities arrived at the scene after the incident. Although the origin of the explosive could not be confirmed, Sai Mon said it was suspected that it was explosives used for “blast fishing”, a controversial local practice where explosives are thrown into water to kill large numbers of fish instantaneously and indiscriminately. It is also called “fish bombing.”

Other than the risk of premature or delayed detonation, blast fishing has been criticized for its environmental impact, which includes the destruction of all marine life at the site of the underwater explosion.

This is the second explosion in Laikha Township within a month. On 17 October a device exploded at Honong Loong Temple just before a Shan literature conference was due to take place. No one was injured in the incident.

By SAI AW / Shan Herald Agency for News (S.H.A.N)

Edited in English by Mark Inkey for BNI