The heavy weapons shot by the junta exploded inside Khat Cho village, Waimaw Township, Kachin State, at 11:00 a.m. on May 20, killing 6 civilians including children, according to local villagers.

Due to the explosion of the weapon inside Kwethet Ward in Khat Cho village, 6 people, including children, were killed and 11 people were injured.

“The military fired a large weapon. It fell in the village. 3 children, a man and 2 women were hit and died by the heavy weapon,” a resident in Khat Cho village told MPA.

Some homes in the village were damaged due to the explosion of weapons fired by the military, and the injured were taken to hospitals in Myitkyina and Waimaw.

“People are seriously injured. The injured people have been sent to the hospital. The condition is not yet known,” said a local woman.

Locals say that the dead people hit by junta shelling are family members of the military, but MPA has not been able to specifically confirm.

Village residents said that the military closed the Khat Cho ferry port at 2:30 p.m. after the explosion.

“The ferry port has been closed. I don’t know when it will be reopened. The fighting may continue and become more intense,” said a resident of Waimaw.

On May 9, the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) attacked the Minna military gate near Bal Min Htin Bridge in Waimaw, Kachin State, at around 3:00 pm., killing 6 junta soldiers including a police officer.

On May 18, the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and the military junta were fighting fiercely in Waimaw town, and the military was fiercely resisting using heavy weapons and planes.