Two civilians - a 12-year-old child and an adult - have been killed after Cambodia fired fired two BM-21 rockets into the middle of a Thai village this morning, a Thai official has told public broadcaster Thai PBS.

The official, the District Chief of Kab Choeng in Surin Province said that at least two have been injured, and 30,000-40,000 people from 86 villages have been evacuated from the area to a shelter for safety.

He made the same comments to Reuters earlier.

Surbhi Kaul
BBC Monitoring

The Cambodian government has decided to downgrade diplomatic relations with Thailand to the lowest level, following similar moves by the Thai government.

Thailand had on 23 July downgraded its diplomatic relations with Cambodia following a landmine incident near the border which wounded Thai soldiers.

Cambodia has responded by reducing diplomatic ties to the level of “Second Charge d’Affaires,” typically referring to the second-ranking diplomat in an embassy, according to a 24 July report by Cambodian daily Khmer Times.

All Cambodian diplomatic staff stationed in Bangkok have been ordered to return home.

Earlier we reported that Thailand deployed six F-16 jets to strike military targets in Cambodia, after Cambodia launched two rockets at Thailand.

"All Thai F-16s have returned home safety and intact, after a rapid deployment to drop bombs on Cambodian battalions," the Thai army wrote in a social media post.

Meanwhile the Cambodian defence ministry has accused Thailand of using excessive force which it has called a " a grave threat to regional peace and stability".

Thailand sealed a border crossing with Cambodia on Wednesday night, as tensions escalated after five Thai soldiers were injured in a landmine explosion.

Troops along the disputed border have fired at each other on Thursday with both sides accusing each other of firing the first shot.

Thailand has now announced that it will seal its entire land border with Cambodia.

Fighting is ongoing in six areas along the disputed border, the military official, Surasan Kongsiri, says.

Three civilians have been seriously wounded, including a five-year-old boy, he adds.

Thailand is closing all its border points with Cambodia, a military official has just announced.

A press conference with the military has just started. We'll bring you the latest updates as we get them.

People have been injured by a Cambodian attack on Phanom Dong Rak Hospital in Thailand, the Thai army has just said in a Facebook post.

Details of the attack are scant for now. Stay with us as we continue to bring you the latest.

Cambodia's Ministry of National Defense has issued a statement accusing Thailand of deploying an excessive number of troops, using heavy weapons and carrying out air strikes in an attempt to forcibly seize Cambodian territory.

The ministry described Thailand's actions as “brutal and illegal military aggression” and “a blatant violation of the United Nations Charter, ASEAN norms, and core principles of international law”, according to the Khmer Times newspaper.

It also claimed that Thai fighter jets dropped two bombs on territory under Cambodian control as clashes between the two countries escalated on Thursday morning.

“These unlawful and irresponsible actions not only pose a grave threat to regional peace and stability but also undermine the foundation of international order,” Ministry spokeswoman Maly Socheata was quoted as saying.

The ministry further warned that the military was fully prepared to defend Cambodia's sovereignty “at all costs".

At least one civilian in Thailand's Surin province has been killed, authorities say.

Government spokesman Jirayu Houngsu who confirmed the death also said seven soldiers have been wounded. He added that the number of civilians wounded is unclear, but among them is a five-year-old child who has been "severely injured".

"F-16 has opened fire!" the Thai army has posted on social media.

It says that Cambodia's Special Military Region Commands 8 and 9 "have been destroyed".

Thailand earlier announced that it has deployed six F-16 jets to hit military targets, after two Cambodian rockets struck Thai residents near the border.

Thailand's education ministry has shut all schools near the disputed border, in Thailand's Surin province.

Education Minister Narumon Pinyosinwat has asked officials to monitor the situation and coordinate with local security forces.

The suspension of classes is a precautionary measure to protect students, teachers and staff, she said.

The Thai army says in a Facebook post that three people have been injured by Cambodian rockets that struck Kap Choeng district in Surin province - an area near the border of the two countries.

These are the latest photos from the scene, as shared by the Thai miiltary.

The BBC has been unable to independently verify these images.

Image source, Royal Thai Army/Facebook

Image source, Royal Thai Army/Facebook

Image source, Royal Thai Army/Facebook

At least three Thai civilians have been wounded in the clashes, the Thai army has said on X.

The post condemned what it said was a "targeted attack on civilians" by Cambodian forces. Two BM-21 rockets had struck residents in the Kap Choeng district in the country's north-east, it said.

The military said it has deployed six F-16 fighter jets to the area.

Cambodia has not publicly reported any casualties or damage. However, its defence ministry maintained that its soldiers were responding in self-defence after Thai troops fired the first shots.

Image source, Getty Images

Bilateral relations between Thailand and Cambodia have been at their worst in more than a decade, after armed clashes in May left one Cambodian soldier dead.

In the past two months, both countries have imposed tit-for-tat restrictions and strengthened troops presence along the border.

The fresh clashes on Thursday comes a day after Thailand recalled its ambassador to Cambodia, following a landmine explosion that injured a Thai soldier along the border.

On Wednesday, Bangkok also said it would expel Cambodia's ambassador.

The Thai embassy in Phnom Penh is urging Thai nationals to leave Cambodia amid the border clashes.

In a Facebook post, the embassy said that Thai citizens in Cambodia should leave "as soon as possible" unless they had urgent reasons to stay.

Jonathan Head
BBC South East Asia Correspondent

According to the Thai military, their troops fired after confronting a group of heavily-armed Cambodian soldiers right on the disputed border. The Cambodians said it was the Thais who fired their weapons first.

Now, villagers in the area on the Thai side of the border have been ordered to evacuate. This follows Thailand’s decision to expel the Cambodian ambassador and recall its own from Phnom Penh.

For now, neither country seems ready to de-escalate. But this conflict really took off last month, after the wiley old Cambodian strongman Hun Sen deeply embarrassed Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra by leaking a phone conversation between them about the disputed border.

Nobody knows why he chose to do this. In fact, he has burned a close relationship between their two families that goes back decades. Paetongtarn Shinawatra was then suspended as prime minister by the constitutional court in Thailand and her unpopular government cannot afford to show any weakness now in standing up to Cambodia.

The result has been an escalating war of words between the two countries, the collapse of border trade that’s worth billions of dollars, and the heightened risk of more serious clashes between their two armies.

We're following the clashes at the Thailand-Cambodian border, where troops have been exchanging fire since morning.

Both sides have accused each other of firing the first shot.

This comes a day after Thailand recalled its ambassador to Cambodia, following a landmine explosion that injured a Thai soldier along the border.

The clashes are still ongoing. Stay with us as we bring you the latest.