One person was killed and 21 civilians were injured as a gunfight broke out between the Myanmar Army and a pro-democracy militia near the Mizoram border on Sunday.

Mizoram shares a 404-km international border with Myanmar.

The man died after he was hit by stray bullets in Khawmawi village in Myanmar. The injured civilians have been admitted to a hospital in Mizoram’s Champhai district.

Officials identified the pro-democracy militia as the Chinland Defence Force, an outfit formed against the military junta in Myanmar, the Hindustan Times reported. The junta came back to power following a coup in February 2021.

The fighting began around 10.30 pm on Sunday and continued till Monday morning at the Zokhawthar-Rikhawdar border, one of the key trade routes India shares with Myanmar.

Champhai Deputy Commissioner James Lalrinchhana confirmed bombing close to the international border and said that officials have been asked to assess the situation in the Zokhawthar village in Mizoram, The Hindu reported.

“Because of the fighting, hundreds have entered India at the border village of Zokhawthar, which is about one km from the fighting place,” Thankunga Pachuau, a leader of the Young Mizo Association, told Scroll.

L Hruaimawia, the liaison officer of the district level committee on Myanmar refugees, said that about 1,400 Myanmar nationals have entered the Zokhawthar area, reported The Hindu.

In total, there are about 5,604 displaced people from Myanmar in Zokhawthar and over 10,000 refugees in Champhai.

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