A Bangladeshi youth was seriously injured in a landmine explosion near the Bangladesh-Myanmar border in Cox’s Bazar’s Teknaf on Monday morning, heightening fear among residents amid ongoing tensions across the frontier.
The incident occurred around 10:00 am in Hoikyang border area of Teknaf, near the Naf River, police and local residents said.
The injured man was identified as Mohammad Hanif, 28, son of Fazal Karim of Lambabil village under Ward No. 3 of Hoikyang Union.
According to locals, Hanif was at a privately owned shrimp farm near the border when the explosion occurred. He was rescued by villagers and taken to the MSF hospital in Kutupalong, Ukhiya, where he is receiving treatment.
The blast has triggered panic among residents of nearby border villages, and fishing activities in the Naf River have reportedly been suspended.
Border sources said armed groups from Myanmar’s Rakhine State, particularly the Arakan Army, have allegedly planted prohibited landmines in areas near no man’s land and around riverine islands in the Naf River to prevent attacks by rival groups. Several Bangladeshi fishermen have previously been injured in similar explosions, they added.
Police said Hanif worked at the shrimp farm close to Hoikyang border. He went to check on a boat at the farm in the morning when the buried landmine detonated, causing critical injuries. Hearing the explosion and his cries, local residents rushed to the scene and took him to hospital.
Hoikyang police outpost in-charge sub-inspector Khokon Kanti Rudra confirmed the incident, saying the explosion took place while the victim was working at a fish farm near the Naf River. He also said people are being warned not to enter risky border areas, as clashes and gunfights among armed groups have been reported in Myanmar’s Rakhine State in recent days.
Hoikyang Union acting chairman Shah Jalal said heavy fighting has been ongoing for several days in Myanmar’s Maungdaw Township, with loud explosions heard across the border until Sunday morning.
He said bullets, drones, and parts of mortar shells fired from across the border have landed in homes, shrimp farms, and fields on the Bangladeshi side, leaving at least one child critically injured.
Shah Jalal added that although no gunfire was heard from late Sunday morning until Monday afternoon, the situation remains tense and unpredictable. Many border residents are living in fear and spending sleepless nights, he said, while authorities are urging people to avoid unsafe areas near the border and the Naf River.
Cox’s Bazar sector commander of Border Guard Bangladesh, Colonel Mahiuddin Ahmed, said the situation across border is being closely monitored and that security patrols have been strengthened along the Naf River and the border areas.
