Two middle-aged men in Namphakka village, Kutkai Township, Northern Shan State, were killed instantly when an unexploded heavy-weapon shell detonated as they attempted to extract gunpowder from it.

Residents of Namphakka reported that the explosion occurred at around 5:30 p.m. on November 2, 2025.

“Both of them died. Two middle-aged men wanted the gunpowder and tried to break the shell open. The explosion happened when they attempted to smash open the heavy-weapon shell to get the gunpowder. It happened in Ward 5 of Namphakka,” a local woman told SHAN.

The 60 mm unexploded shell was brought to the house in Ward 5 by one of the victims, a soldier from a local defense force affiliated with the Kachin Independence Army (KIA). The explosion occurred while the men were attempting to extract the gunpowder. Both men, including the KIA soldier, died instantly.

This incident is part of a recurring pattern in Northern Shan State, driven by uncleared unexploded ordnance (UXO) and economic hardship.

In a similar case in October 2024, two men were killed instantly in Pang Kha village, Kutkai Township, when a 60 mm UXO detonated as they attempted to remove gunpowder.

In towns captured by the Brotherhood Alliance during “Operation 1027,” including Namtu, Namhsan, Kutkai, and Hsenwi (Theinni), clearance of unexploded heavy weapons and landmines from former battlefields remains incomplete. As a result, injuries and fatalities among local residents continue to be reported every month.

Due to severe job scarcity in these conflict-affected areas, some locals have begun dangerously scavenging and selling military remnants — including unexploded shells, hand grenades, fragments from exploded ordnance, and even firearms — particularly near former military council camps.