One killed, eight injured in drone attack on Bridge Repair Team in Kayin State
A joint force of the Karen National Union (KNU) and the People’s Defence Force (PDF) carried out a drone attack yesterday on the Ka Nwe Bridge repair team along the Asia Highway between Kawkareik and Myawaddy in Kayin State, killing one worker and injuring eight others.
According to reports, the bridge repair team, led by a deputy director of the Special Bridge Unit and comprising an engineer and 26 workers, was conducting reconstruction works on the Ka Nwe Bridge, which had previously been destroyed by explosives. Around 1:30 p.m., the KNU-PDF joint force launched two suicide drones from areas near Pyar Pin village (about 3,600 meters northwest of the bridge) and Myo Haung village (about 3,700 meters south of the bridge), striking the workers at the site. One male worker was killed, and eight others sustained injuries.
Security forces subsequently secured the area, and the injured were initially treated at the local military hospital in Kawkareik before being transferred to Taungkalay Hospital in Hpa-an for further medical care.
The Ka Nwe Bridge, a 196-foot-long, 40-foot-wide reinforced concrete structure near Ka Nwe village, was previously destroyed by a KNU-PDF explosive attack on December 15, 2023. That attack disrupted transport along the Asia Highway, halting cargo flow and causing severe difficulties for travellers.
The government has since undertaken reconstruction works to restore transport and trade for local communities. However, the latest attack occurred while these repairs were underway, according to the National Defence and Security Council’s Information Team.
Eleven Media
Asia News Network
