An explosive remnant of war killed a teenage boy and seriously injured a woman when the ordnance blew up at a village in Mrauk-U Township, Arakan State, on February 2.

U Aung Than Tun, chairperson of the Garuna Hlaing Blood Donor Association, said 15-year-old Mg Kyaw Kyaw Than found the unexploded ordnance near his home village of Chaung Thit, and brought it to the village. It was there that Daw May Gyi, 41, asked for the teenager’s assistance carrying a rice basket at about noon on Sunday. As he lent a hand to the woman, the ordnance slipped from his grasp and exploded upon hitting the ground, grievously wounding the two.

“Both were injured seriously,” U Aung Than Tun said. “The young man died from serious injuries soon after he was sent to the hospital. The woman got major injuries all over her body. She was unconscious when being transported to the hospital, but now she is no longer in critical condition.”

U Aung Than Tun said the tragic mishap highlighted the need for awareness campaigns focused on the dangers of unexploded ordnance, from landmines to artillery shells, which are frequently encountered by civilians in Arakan State and other war zones across Myanmar.

“I want organizations to conduct mine risk education in the villages of conflict-affected townships. This case happened as they lack mine awareness. Similar cases happen frequently,” he said.