Thai families recalled how Cambodian rockets struck their homes amid an escalating clash along the border.

Grandmother Prai Imjai said her family, including a two-month-old boy and a 12-year-old schoolboy, were wounded in the artillery volley that hit their neighbourhood in Surin, Thailand, on July 24.

The attack reportedly began at 9 am, after she left her grandchildren to check on her rice paddy.

Speaking on Thursday, the elderly woman said: 'I usually bring my grandchildren to watch TV in the living room near the front of the house. But today, I went out to check on our rice crops and left them at home. Around 9 am, I heard an explosion in the village.

'Soon after, I heard people shouting that a house had been hit. I rushed back home but when I arrived, I saw the villagers carrying my grandchildren into a car to take them to the hospital. I was so shocked. I didn't know what to do. I just sat there and cried.'

Her husband Somjai said he was out running errands when he received a call from his distraught wife sobbing over their grandchildren.

He said: 'When I returned, the house was already badly damaged from the explosion. But more than anything, I felt heartbroken for my grandchildren who were hit by shrapnel. I don't know what's going to happen to them.'

Police said two-month-old Thanakorn Ladchai was struck in the body and head, while 12-year-old Thanabodin Imjai suffered injuries to his leg and fingers. Phongsak Ladchai, 32, was hit in the upper leg, and 34-year-old Dararat Imjai sustained wounds to her fingers. All four were taken to Sangkha Hospital for treatment.

Artillery strikes had hit a series of locations across Surin and Si Sa Ket, including a 7-Eleven convenience store at a PTT petrol station on Thursday.

Thai Health Minister Somsak Thepsuthin said at least 14 people, including a soldier and two children Bandit Aunjit and Namkhong Boontang aged seven and eight, were killed in the crossfire, while some 32 were injured.

The interior ministry said more than 100,000 residents were evacuated from four border provinces and moved to shelters.

Thailand responded with airstrikes as authorities condemned Cambodia as 'inhumane, brutal, and war-hungry'.

But Cambodia claims that the Thai military initiated the clashes over disputed land, which it has occupied since the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled in favour of Cambodia in the 1960s.

Both blamed each other for allegedly instigating the violent border clashes.

The Royal Thai Army reported that Thai military officers at Prasat Ta Muen temple in Surin heard the sound of an unmanned aerial vehicle at 7:35 am but could not pinpoint its location.

Six armed Cambodian soldiers, including one with an RPG, then approached the barbed wire area in front of the Thai base, prompting Thai soldiers to shout at them to stop.

At 8:20 am, the Cambodian side reportedly fired in the opposite direction of the base to the east of the castle before artillery fire was launched around 9 am.

Jirayu Huangsap, spokesman for the Prime Minister's Office, said the government received military information and 'clear evidence' that the Cambodian side initiated the attack.

However, Cambodian PM Hun Manet said Thailand initiated the attack, forcing him to retaliate.

Cambodian troops reportedly fired continuous artillery rounds using 122mm rockets from BM-21 rocket launchers at residents in Surin, where one civilian was killed and a five-year-old child and his family were severely injured. Seven soldiers were also injured in the rocket strike.

The Thai army closed all border checkpoints at 8 am, while the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was instructed to compile evidence of the alleged provocations from the Cambodian side to lodge a formal complaint with international organisations.

The Royal Thai Embassy in Phnom Penh has advised Thai residents in Cambodia to leave as soon as possible. It also urged the public to avoid non-essential travel to Cambodia until the situation is resolved.

The Cambodian Ministry of National Defence condemned Thailand for alleged encroachment.

Prime Minister Hun Manet said Cambodia 'had no choice' but to respond with its armed forces against 'armed aggression'.
The clash flared several days after a border landmine exploded, injuring three Thai soldiers, including one who lost a leg.
Tensions between Thailand and Cambodia escalated after a clash between troops from both countries in a disputed area in Nam Yuen district, Ubon Ratchathani, on May 28, resulting in the death of a Cambodian sergeant.

Thailand expressed its intention to resolve the dispute through existing bilateral mechanisms. However, Cambodia vowed to take the case before the International Court of Justice in The Hague.

Thailand and Cambodia have a complex and often fractious history with regular skirmishes.

The Khmer Empire, a precursor to modern-day Cambodia, once stretched across much of Southeast Asia before the ancient leaders moved their base south to Phnom Penh in the 16th century amid water shortages. The Siamese kingdom then moved into the abandoned land.

Thai leaders later supported Germany and Japan in WWII, before aiding the Americans in the bombing of Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos in the 1960s and 70s. They then helped the genocidal Khmer Rouge, responsible for killing some three million Cambodians, and provided sanctuary for their fugitive leaders.