A Bangladeshi child was injured by gunfire coming from Myanmar at around 9:00am on Sunday in the Teknaf border area. The incident took place near the Techchhi Bridge along the border in Hwaikyang Union. The injured child, Afnan (11), is the daughter of local resident Jasim Uddin.

Cox’s Bazar Additional Superintendent of Police (DSB) Alok Bishwas told the media in the afternoon that the child sustained a gunshot wound and is alive, contrary to early reports suggesting she had died. She is being transferred to Chattogram Medical College Hospital for treatment.

Earlier in the day, an officer-in-charge of the Hwaikyang police outpost had initially reported that the child was killed and that another person was wounded. Following the spread of that information, angry locals staged a road blockade in protest.

Meanwhile, violence in Myanmar’s Rakhine State has continued to escalate, with airstrikes, drone attacks, mortar shelling, and bomb explosions reported almost daily. For the past three days, Myanmar’s military has intensified aerial assaults on positions held by the Arakan Army in and around Maungdaw Township.

At the same time, three armed Rohingya groups have reportedly engaged in ground clashes with the Arakan Army, further worsening the security situation along the border. Powerful explosions across the border have been causing tremors in villages on the Bangladeshi side of Teknaf, shaking homes and alarming residents. Bullets fired from across the border have reportedly landed in residential areas, shrimp farms, and the Naf River.

From Saturday evening until about 9:30am on Sunday, heavy exchanges of gunfire and repeated mortar explosions were reported in Myanmar’s Balibazar area opposite the Hwaikyang border. The loud blasts were felt across at least 11 villages in Hwaikyang and Palongkhali unions of Ukhiya, forcing many residents to remain awake overnight or flee their homes for safer locations.

In response, the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and the Coast Guard have increased patrols and surveillance along the Naf River and adjacent land border.

Multiple border sources said clashes are ongoing between the Arakan Army and several Rohingya armed groups, including the Arakan Salvation Army (ARSA), the Arakan Rohingya Solidarity Organisation (RSO), and a faction led by Nabi Hossain. Myanmar’s military has also been conducting air and bomb strikes on Arakan Army positions in the area.

Lieutenant Colonel Zahidul Islam, commander of BGB Battalion 64 in Ukhiya, said authorities are closely monitoring the situation across the border and have tightened security to prevent infiltration.

Local union parishad member Sirajul Mostafa said residents in Hwaikyang have been living in fear for days due to constant gunfire and explosions on the Myanmar side, with stray bullets landing in homes and farmlands, severely disrupting daily life.

A local fisherman, Mohammad Rafiq, said he found several bullets near the embankment in the Techchhi Bridge area earlier in the day. One bullet struck the ground close to his foot while fighting was ongoing across the border, narrowly missing him.

A Rohingya refugee who recently fled Rakhine State said intense fighting between Rohingya armed groups and the Arakan Army continues near the border, alongside periodic airstrikes by Myanmar’s military, leaving the region in a tense and unstable condition.

Teknaf Upazila Nirbahi Officer Mohammad Imam-ul Hafiz Nadim said authorities remain in contact with the BGB and other agencies and have advised residents of border areas to move cautiously and maintain safe distances.

Correction: Initial reports incorrectly stated that the child had died. Later confirmation from police clarified that the child was injured. The information has been updated accordingly.