Girl injured by gunfire from Myanmar transferred to Dhaka

The 9-year-old child who was injured by a stray bullet allegedly fired from Myanmar along the Teknaf border has been transferred to Dhaka for advanced treatment as her condition remains critical.

The child, Huzaifa Afnan, was shifted from Chattogram Medical College Hospital (CMCH) to the National Institute of Neurosciences and Hospital in the capital this afternoon (13 January) under special medical arrangements.

Confirming the development, CMCH Director Brigadier General Taslim Uddin said that the child's condition is extremely serious. "The bullet lodged in her head could not be removed through surgery due to the high risk involved."

"The bullet is embedded in such a position that attempting to extract it could cause severe bleeding and may lead to death. Considering the need for advanced neurosurgery and critical care facilities, we decided to refer her to Dhaka," he added.

Earlier, Taslim Uddin said the child has been on life support and is currently receiving ventilator support at CMCH. "She underwent surgery on Sunday night, but the bullet could not be removed."

The incident occurred around 10:30am on 11 January in the Techchi Bridge area of Whykong Union in Teknaf.

Afnan, daughter of Jasim Uddin and a resident of Techchi Bridge village, was hit by a stray bullet allegedly fired from Myanmar's Rakhine State across the border. Another person was also injured in the same incident.

After being shot, the child was first taken to CMCH and admitted to the ICU on Sunday evening, where she was kept on life support.