Villagers confirmed to Karen News a 17-year-old girl was killed while three others villagers were seriously injured by Burma Army artillery at around 5am on Thursday. The artillery shells also damage a number of villagers’ houses.

Following fighting between the local Karen National Liberation Army combined forces and the Burma Army near Htee Mu Hta Village, the Burma Army deliberately targeted the village with heavy artillery shelling. A woman villager said the 17-year-old girl was killed when she was hit on the head by artillery shelling while another girl and a married couple was also wounded.

The villager told Karen News; “The girl had got up early in the morning to cook. The artillery shell fell near her house and exploded. She was wounded in the head and died. There was blood all over the place where she was cooking. Her mother tried to get her to the hospital. No hospitals were opened at that time, she died on the way”

Local sources said the Burma Army fired six 120 mm shells into Htee Mu Hta village. The other girl received wounds to her bladder and waist and the married couple were wounded in the legs. Two houses were badly damaged and a car destroyed.

The dead girl was a student and had just turned 17 on March 23. The injured girl is in critical condition.

Increased Burma Army incursions into KNU controlled territory has resulted in increased fighting with KNLA combined forces in the area. Locals say the Burma Army usually responds to its battlefield failures against the KNLA by firing heavy artillery into villages.