Cox’s Bazar girl hit by ‘firing from Myanmar’ remains in critical condition

The condition of the 12-year-old girl, who suffered injuries from a “stray bullet” allegedly fired from Myanmar along the Teknaf border in Cox’s Bazar on Sunday, remains critical, said physicians on Monday.

The victim, Afnan Ara is now currently undergoing treatment at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of Chittagong Medical College and Hospital (CMCH) and she has been kept on life support, said director of the hospital Brig General Taslim Uddin.

Speaking to the reporters, Taslim said, “The child underwent surgery on Sunday night. However, the bullet pierced on her head could not be removed as it is stuck in a very sensitive area. Any attempt to extract it could cause severe bleeding and may result in death.”

He said the patient has been put on ventilation support at the ICU.

The positive sign is that her physical condition has shown slight improvement in a day, he added.

Afnan Ara, daughter of Jashim Uddin, suffered bullet injuries around 10:30am on Sunday when a bullet hit her on the head at Whykong in Teknaf upazila of Cox’s Bazar district.

The bullet round is believed to have crossed into Bangladesh during a gunfight in neighbouring Myanmar’s Rakhine State, where clashes were taking place between the Arakan Army and a separatist group.

Later, she was taken to the CMCH.