Girl hit by stray bullet from Myanmar put on life support at NINS

A nine-year-old girl from Cox’s Bazar, who was struck by a stray bullet fired from Myanmar on Sunday, has been placed on life support at the National Institute of Neurosciences and Hospital (NINS) in Dhaka.

"Her condition is still very critical, and she is under observation at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU)," Humayun Kabir Himu, an associate professor at NINS, and her uncle, Shawkat Ali, told The Daily Star today.

Huzaifa Afnan, a class-3 student from the Teschi Bridge area of Whykong union, was shot during intense clashes between the Arakan Army and Rohingya armed groups inside Myanmar.

She was rushed to Chattogram Medical College Hospital and later shifted to NINS last night after doctors at CMCH failed to remove the bullet lodged in her throat.

Humayun said the bullet remained stuck in her throat, but she suffered a stroke as it damaged the veins that supply blood to the brain.

This also increased pressure on her brain, and she was put on mechanical ventilation (life support), he said, adding that she had been given medication to reduce the pressure.

She is very young and is showing some response -- two positive signs -- but nothing can be said for certain at this stage, Humayun said. The next procedure may be carried out once the pressure on her brain eases, he added.

A board led by NINS Director Prof Kazi Gias Uddin Ahmed is overseeing her treatment. No decision has yet been taken about sending her abroad for better treatment.