Force of explosion blew vehicle off the road in area that locals say is littered with landmines even thought there is no fighting
An 18-month-old toddler and his parents were killed and six others seriously injured when a minivan hit a landmine in Rakhine state’s Maungdaw township on Tuesday, locals said.
The nine passengers were on their way back from donating robes to monks at a Kha Htein ceremony in Thar Yar Gone village when the explosion threw their vehicle off the road, said Bhaddanta Sarana, a local monk who was at the scene and helped the injured.
Kyaw Ye Aung, 25, his wife Aye San Nu, 20, and their child were killed on the spot.
“The driver died, so did his wife and their child, who was only one and a half years old,” he told Myanmar Now.
The bus was on its way back to Khayay Myaing village when the incident happened and the other six passengers were sent to the hospital in the town of Maungdaw, he said.
“There were so many injuries on their faces and legs. The car was thrown into the farm and the force threw the dead bodies out of the car,” he added.
Members of the military-controlled Border Guard Force also visited the scene.
Both the Myanmar military and the Arakan Army have used landmines during intense fighting in Rakhine state in recent years, drawing condemnation from human rights groups.
Locals told Myanmar Now that there were frequent landmine explosions in the area where the bus was hit, even though there is no fighting there.
Maungdaw’s district administrator, Soe Aung, told Myanmar Now he was aware of the incident but not of the details.
At least 36 people have died and 75 have been injured by landmine explosions in Rakhine since the conflict started there in 2018, according to Rakhine Ethnic Congress.
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