Thailand's leader has said that intense fighting between Thailand and Cambodia, which has killed at least 16 people and displaced tens of thousands, could "move towards war".

Thailand and Cambodia are engaged in their worst fighting in over a decade, exchanging heavy artillery fire across their disputed border, with at least 16 people killed and tens of thousands displaced.

Clashes are ongoing in at least six areas along the border, the Thai Defense Ministry said. The first clash Thursday morning happened in an area near the ancient Ta Muen Thom temple along the border of Surin and Cambodia’s Oddar Meanchey province. A Cambodian provincial official said clashes resumed there again early on Friday morning.