Tens of thousands of people sought refuge on Friday as border fighting between Thailand and Cambodia continued for a second day, raising fears of a wider conflict.
The UN Security Council is due to hold an emergency meeting on the crisis later on Friday in New York, while Malaysia, which leads a regional bloc that includes both countries, has called for an end to the fighting and offered to mediate.
The Public Health Ministry said on Friday that more than 58,000 people had fled villages to temporary shelters in four affected border provinces in Thailand, while Cambodian authorities said more than 4,000 people had been evacuated from areas near the border.
Fighting in Thailand has killed at least 14 people, while Cambodia's first fatality was confirmed on Friday.
Tensions over a disputed border area escalated into clashes after a landmine explosion along the border wounded five Thai soldiers on Wednesday.
The Thai military reported clashes early Friday in several areas, including along the border in Chong Bok and Phu Mahuea in Thailand's Ubon Ratchathani province, Phanom Dong Rak in Surin province and near the ancient Ta Muen Thom temple.
Associated Press reporters near the border heard artillery fire early in the morning.
Thailand's military said Cambodian forces used heavy artillery and Russian-made BM-21 multiple rocket launchers, prompting what Thai officials called “appropriate return fire.”
Thailand said one soldier and 13 civilians, including children, were killed, and 15 soldiers and 30 civilians were wounded.
Cambodia's top official in Oddar Meanchey province, General Howe Ly, said the man was killed on Thursday after a Thai missile hit the Buddhist pagoda where he was hiding.
At least four civilians were wounded in fighting on Thursday.
As the fighting intensified, villagers on both sides found themselves caught in the crossfire, forcing many to flee.
About 600 people took refuge in a university gymnasium in Surin, Thailand, about 80 kilometers (50 miles) from the border. Evacuees sat in groups on mats and blankets and queued for food and drinks.
Across the border in Cambodia, villages on the outskirts of Oddar Meanchey province were largely deserted, with houses locked and chickens and dogs roaming the streets.
Some villagers had earlier dug holes to make improvised underground bunkers, covering them with wood, tarpaulins and zinc sheets to protect them from the shelling. Families with children were seen packing their belongings on makeshift tractors to evacuate, although several men refused to leave.
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
