Bangladeshi girl injured by Myanmar gunfire dies

A 13-year-old Bangladeshi girl, who was critically wounded by gunfire allegedly originating from across the Myanmar border in Teknaf, has died after battling critical injuries for nearly a month.

Huzaifa Afnan passed away around 9:45am on Saturday at the National Institute of Neurosciences and Hospital in Dhaka, according to her family.

Her uncle, Shawkat Ali, said doctors pronounced her dead in the morning, adding that preparations were being made to take her body back to their hometown.

The teenager, daughter of Jasim Uddin, was seriously injured on 11 January when bullets fired from the Myanmar side reportedly hit her at Techchhi Bridge area of Hwaikyang in Teknaf, Cox’s Bazar.

She was first taken to a nearby medical facility, but as her condition worsened, she was transferred to Chattogram Medical College Hospital later that day and placed in the intensive care unit.

Two days later, on 13 January, she was moved to Dhaka for specialised treatment after doctors failed to safely extract the bullet lodged in her head.

Professor Harun-or-Rashid, head of the Anesthesia and ICU Department at Chattogram Medical College Hospital, earlier said that surgery had been conducted, but removing the bullet posed a high risk.

“The projectile had penetrated the brain, and any attempt to remove it could have been fatal. Our efforts focused on reducing brain pressure,” he said at the time.

Huzaifa remained in critical condition throughout her treatment but ultimately succumbed to her injuries after 27 days.

The incident has renewed concerns among residents of the Teknaf border area over recurring cross-border firing and the safety of civilians living near the frontier.