PHOP PHRA, Tak — Three Myanmar migrant workers, including a mother, father, and their 11-year-old son, were killed and two others seriously injured after an explosive payload from a military drone detonated in an agricultural field near the Thai-Myanmar border in Tak province.

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The tragic incident occurred on June 2, 2026, in a chilli plantation near Ban Moger Thai in Wa Le subdistrict, Phop Phra district. The explosion was the result of a suicide drone carrying explosives that reportedly crashed into a large tree near the border before its payload detached and fell into the field where the workers were harvesting.

According to local residents and emergency responders, a group of five workers approached the unexploded object to inspect it. The device subsequently detonated, causing catastrophic injuries. Ma Khae was pronounced dead at the scene. Her husband, 37-year-old Tu Ya, and their 11-year-old son sustained severe shrapnel wounds and later succumbed to their injuries. Two other workers, identified as 31-year-old Chi To and 30-year-old Ma Hnway, were rushed to Mae Sot Hospital, where they remain in serious condition receiving urgent medical care.

A joint task force comprising police, military personnel, and security officials, led by Police Colonel Anusorn Dangkong, superintendent of Phop Phra Police Station, was dispatched to investigate the blast site. Investigators discovered the damaged fuselage of a medium-sized suicide drone resting beside a tree near a border road, alongside a blast crater located approximately 10 metres away where the explosion occurred.

A drone from Myanmar’s Karen State conflict crossed into Phop Phra District in Thailand’s Tak Province on Tuesday and exploded in a chili farm, killing three Myanmar migrant workers from one family and seriously injuring two others. #WhatsHappeningInMyanmar pic.twitter.com/Hz2OcMCADs

— The Irrawaddy (Eng) (@IrrawaddyNews) June 3, 2026

The detonation coincided with reports of intense armed conflict taking place on the Myanmar side of the border throughout the day. The spillover of military hardware into Thai territory has raised severe safety concerns for communities living in the borderlands. In response, security agencies have cordoned off the plantation and designated the immediate vicinity as a restricted danger zone pending a comprehensive forensic examination by explosive ordnance disposal teams.

Local authorities in Phop Phra district have issued urgent public safety warnings to all residents and agricultural workers operating along the frontier. The public is strictly advised not to approach, move, or handle any suspicious objects or unexploded ordnance, and to immediately notify security forces for safe inspection and disposal to prevent further loss of life.

The incident highlights the persistent risks faced by border communities due to the ongoing conflict in neighboring Myanmar. Cross-border skirmishes and the increasing use of aerial drones have resulted in stray munitions and unexploded ordnance entering Thai territory, prompting continuous vigilance from local law enforcement and military units.

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As the investigation continues, authorities are working to identify the origin of the drone and the specific armed groups involved in the cross-border clashes.

-Thailand News (TN)