Myanmar air strike near border leaves bomb on Thai soil in Mae Hong Son, residents evacuated
A Myanmar air raid near the Thai border left one bomb landing in Mae Hong Son’s Sop Moei district on April 20, 2026, prompting local evacuations.
A bomb from a Myanmar air raid has landed on Thai territory in Mae Hong Son province, prompting officials to evacuate residents in the area, local authorities said.
According to reports, at 11.00am on April 20, 2026, Myanmar’s air force used Yak-130 and MiG-29 fighter jets to carry out air strikes on a Karen National Union (KNU) hospital and nearby homes in Karen State, around 500 metres from the border opposite Mae Sam Laep subdistrict, Sop Moei district, Mae Hong Son.
The strikes reportedly involved nine bombs dropped in the areas of U Mi Tha village and U Su Tha village in Hpapun Township, Karen State. The extent of casualties and damage was not immediately known.
One bomb was reported to have crossed into Thailand, landing near the Salween River in the Ban Mae Sam Laep area, causing panic among local residents.
Officials from 36th Ranger Forces Regiment, stationed at the Mae Sam Laep outpost, together with the Mae Sam Laep Subdistrict Administrative Organisation, moved quickly to evacuate Thai residents living near the impact site to Huai Kong Kat village in Mae Sam Laep subdistrict as a safety precaution.
In recent weeks, fighting in Myanmar has intensified, with Myanmar aircraft reportedly dropping bombs on KNU-linked communities opposite Ban Tha Ta Fang in Mae Yuam subdistrict, Mae Sariang district, Mae Hong Son. Reports said Karen residents were injured by shrapnel and transported to Thailand for treatment at Mae Sam Laep Hospital in Sop Moei district.
