A Buddhist monk and a young novice were injured in a mine explosion in Mongnawng, Shan State, on Monday evening.

A local resident told DVB that the elder monk and three novices were on their way to bathe in a creek near the monastery in Nakan village when they stepped on a landmine.

“Monks at the monastery usually bathe at a well inside the premises but the monk and novices went to the creek, as soldiers were using the well. They arrived at a nearby creek, but as there was already women and children there, they decided to find another spot. As they walked through the woods, they stood on a mine,” the local said.

The monk and one of the novices sustained leg injuries, and were transported to Loilem District Hospital after the incident.

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The local added that police and military personnel inspected the scene – but that officials had refused to give further details.

Many residents in Mongnawn were displaced in early November as heavy fighting and artillery shelling between the Burmese army and Shan State Army-North besieged the town. Although many locals returned to their homes last week, government forces are restricting access in and out of the town to between 6am and 6pm.

Read more about the conflict in Shan State here.