Hundreds of Burmese villagers crossed the Thai border to take shelter from gunfights and bombing in Myanmar.

Some 1,200 Karen and Kayah locals fled as gunfighting and bombing erupted between Burmese junta soldiers and the Karen Army in Kayah, Myanmar on July 5.

Prasert Pradit, the president of the Civic Council of Mae Hong Son province bordering Myanmar, said more than 100 Karen people escaped to Ban Huai Pong Lao village, while around 1,000 Kayah residents sought refuge at the Ban Mai village. More than 100 refugees denied entry by the Thai government were staying near a Thai military base, officials said.

Prasert added that more than 400 Shan people evacuated to three different temples for shelter. He said: 'We are accepting donations of dried food and daily necessities for children and women, as the current number of Myanmar refugees in Thailand has reached 4,877.'

Local media reported that Myanmar Air Force planes were dropping bombs on Burmese villages, killing at least four people.

Fighting between the armed militias and the Burmese military has intensified amid the political turmoil in Myanmar caused by the ousting of former leader Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021.

Several months of protests erupted across Myanmar, also known as Burma, but hundreds of civilians were killed amid forceful crackdowns. The army has since regained control through ongoing intimidation and arrests but the country remains divided and rebel groups clash regularly with state soldiers.