Homemade explosive detonates, killing two girls in Laikha Township
A crude explosive device detonated and killed two
girls yesterday after it was handled by children in southern Shan State’s
Laikha Township, according to a local elected representative.
The blast took place at about 2:30 p.m. near Nam Teng Bridge, two miles east of
Laikha town, while the two girls were playing with their three siblings,
confirmed Sai
Mon, a recently elected member of the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy
(SNLD) in Laikha.
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| The funeral pyre for the two young victims. ( Sai Mon; Facebook) |
“Five children were playing with an explosive that
they had found nearby, when it went off,” he said. “The explosion killed two
girls and wounded three other children.”
The two girls who lost their lives in the explosion
were eight and 13 years old, respectively.
Sai Mon described the explosion as
“very powerful,” making recognition of the victims difficult.
Local authorities came to the
scene after the incident. Although the origin of the explosive could not be
confirmed, Sai Mon said it was suspected that the bomb was of the same variety
used for “blast fishing”, a controversial local practice of throwing explosives
into water to kill large numbers of fish instantaneously and indiscriminately.
It is also called “fish bombing.”
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| An example of the explosive devices commonly used in blast fishing in Shan State, which may be to blame for the death of two children in Laikha Township. (S.H.A.N) |
Other than the risk of premature
or delayed detonation, blast fishing has been criticized for its environmental
impact, which includes the destruction of all marine life at the site of the underwater
explosion.
This is the second explosion in Laikha Township within
the last month; the first was on October 17 at Honong Loong temple, just before
a Shan literature conference was to take place. But, no one was injured in the
incident.
By SAI AW / Shan Herald Agency for News (S.H.A.N)
Tags: General, News
