Armed forces in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan have exchanged gunfire along a contested stretch of border, dramatically raising the stakes in a conflict that began with clashes among local residents.

Health officials in Kyrgyzstan’s southern Batken region said in the evening on April 29 that one person had died with gunshots wounds. Fully 17 people needed hospitalization.

Local government representatives have described the crisis in stark terms.

Kyrgyz security services later said Tajik Interior Ministry troops were deploying mortars, machine guns and automatic rifles in the fighting.

The Tajik security services have also reported on the exchange of gunfire, accusing Kyrgyz troops of firing on Tajik border personnel near a strategically important irrigation water distribution facility.