Another landmine explosion at Ghumdhum border leaves man severely injured

A landmine exploded once again along the Ghumdhum border in Naikhongchari upazila of Bandarban, seriously injuring a man. The incident occurred at around 3:30 pm on Wednesday.

The explosion severely injured Md Shafi, 35, blowing off his right heel and fracturing the bone in his left knee. Rescuers later took him to a hospital in the Kutupalong Rohingya refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar for treatment.

Police and local sources said that Shafi, a resident of the Reju Amtali area in Ghumdhum Union, had gone to a garden near the border to cut banana bunches.

While he was there, a landmine suddenly exploded. The people accompanying him fled in panic immediately after the blast. When they returned a short while later, they found him lying on the ground, covered in blood. Local residents then rescued him and transported him to hospital.

Reju Amtali area lies approximately 35 kilometres from the upazila headquarters.

Mozammel Haque, officer-in-charge (OC) of Naikhongchhari police station, said, “The explosion occurred approximately 400 metres inside Bangladeshi territory from the zero line, west of Border Pillar No. 41 in Reju Amtali. Local residents rescued the injured Shafi and took him to the MSF hospital in Kutupalong.”

Earlier, on 24 May, a landmine explosion in the Ghumdhum border area killed three people.

Another farmer lost his life in a similar incident on 9 June. In addition, on 2 June, a 12-year-old boy died when a discarded mortar shell exploded while he was playing with it.