Fighting between the Burmese military and Karenni resistance groups has trapped civilians in Loikaw, the capital of Karenni State, on the first day of the Thingyan holidays or Burmese New Year.

An anonymous male resident said a man was injured when a shard of glass entered his thigh after shelling damaged houses in Chi Kel Ward. He said his aunt also suffered a minor injury to her neck when four shells hit their house. The Shwe Loikaw Volunteer Team rescued most of the injured from the scene.

”I think there are at least five families still trapped in the ward,” a member of the rescue team told Kantarawaddy Times, on condition of anonymity. People have called them and the Red Cross asking for help to leave the ward.

Battalion 11 of the Karenni National Defence Force (KNDF), which is fighting with the regime’s forces in Loikaw, has asked residents of the ward to seek safety in nearby villages.

According to the KNDF, the regime also shelled Htee Hpoe Kalo village in eastern Demawso Township at around 1am on Thursday. Four shells hit a village, injuring livestock.