More than 15,000 people from Myanmar shelter in Indian border state - official

FILE PHOTO: Myanmar nationals including those who said they are police and firemen and recently fled to India flash the three-finger salute at an undisclosed location in India's northeastern state of Mizoram, near the India-Myanmar border, March 15, 2021. REUTERS/Rupak De Chowdhuri

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - The number of people from Myanmar seeking shelter in India has swelled to more than 15,000, with more likely to cross over as fighting intensifies in parts Myanmar following a coup, an Indian government official said on Tuesday.

The influx into the small, northeast Indian state of Mizoram, which shares a porous, mountainous border with Myanmar, began in late February as policemen fled to avoid having to take orders from a junta trying to suppress opposition to the Feb. 1 coup.