Three farmers die in Bandarban explosions while clearing weeds, leaving families and village shaken
Edited by: Kimbawinu Vaiphei, Kukiland Express Desk
Songpi: May 25, 2026
Three indigenous villagers from Bangladesh were killed yesterday morning after a series of landmine explosions struck a banana plantation in Bandarban’s Naikhongchhari upazila, near the Myanmar border.
The incident occurred around 10:00am in Bhalukia Para, a village under Ghumdhum union adjacent to the no-man’s-land between Bangladesh and Myanmar. Local officials identified the victims as Akyamong Tanchangya, 40, Chingkshong Chakma, 34, and Chopoching Chakma, 32, all residents of Bhalukia Para.
According to witnesses and police, the men were clearing weeds in their plantation when the first blast killed Akyamong on the spot. Two more explosions followed as the others rushed to help, killing them instantly.
Naikhongchhari Police Station Officer-in-Charge Mozammel Haque said police teams are working to recover the bodies and examine the site. Upazila Nirbahi Officer Enamul Hasan said preliminary reports place the blasts in the no-man’s-land area but it was too early to confirm who laid the mines.
Residents allege that armed groups active along the border frequently move through the area and take shelter in plantations. The deaths have intensified anxiety among border communities already living under the shadow of cross-border instability.
The Bangladesh–Myanmar frontier in Bandarban has seen repeated security incidents in recent years, including landmine casualties, as armed activity on the Myanmar side spills over into border villages. Yesterday’s deaths underscore the vulnerability of civilians whose livelihoods depend on farming in these contested zones.
