At least 11 Thai civilians were killed and 14 others injured after fight erupted along the Thailand-Cambodia border on Thursday, with tensions between the two neighbours escalating over the long-disputed territory known as the Emerald Triangle.
The conflict flared dramatically as Cambodia launched rockets and artillery shells into Thai territory, prompting the Thai military to respond with air strikes on Cambodian military targets.
Thailand’s Foreign Ministry said Cambodian attacks on civilian areas continued through Thursday, including an assault on Phanom Dong Rak Hospital in Thailand’s Surin province.
Videos circulating online showed aerial attacks at the hospital, which is located near the Thai-Cambodian border.
The visuals captured rockets striking just outside the hospital complex as Thai soldiers took cover on the ground. No casualties were reported at the hospital itself, which was evacuated as tensions rose.
Most civilian deaths reportedly resulted from a rocket strike near a petrol station in Sisaket province, according to Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health.
In response to the violence, Thailand Education Minister Narumon Pinyosinwat ordered all schools in Phanom Dong Rak district to close with immediate effect, Nation Thailand reported.
A Thai military official confirmed that six Thai air force jets were scrambled from Ubon Ratchathani province and hit two Cambodian military targets on the ground.
The two countries remain locked in a bitter dispute over the Emerald Triangle, an area where the borders of Thailand, Cambodia and Laos converge.
The media reported that at least nine Thai civilians were killed and 14 others wounded as Cambodia continued its cross-border bombardment and Thailand scrambled F-16 jets for retaliatory strikes.
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