- विज्ञापन -
More than 20 civilians, including children, lost their lives following a recent air strike on a monastery in central Myanmar, according to sources on Saturday.
An anti-junta fighter and a local resident confirmed the incident, which took place in Sagaing region, a area severely affected by ongoing conflict since the military overthrow of Myanmar’s democratically elected government in 2021.
The air strike occurred around 1:00 am on Friday in Lin Ta Lu village, targeting a monastery hall where internally displaced individuals had sought refuge. The anti-junta fighter, who wished to stay anonymous for safety reasons, told media that 22 people were killed, including three children, and that two others were critically wounded and hospitalized. “They believed it was safe to stay at the Buddhist monastery, but it was bombed,” he said.
A resident at the scene confirmed that the monastery was “completely destroyed” and witnessed bodies being taken away in a vehicle to a cemetery at dawn. When he visited the cemetery to take photos for identification purposes, he counted 22 bodies, many with severe head injuries or torn apart—highlighting the devastating impact of the attack.
Sagaing region was also struck by a magnitude-7.7 earthquake in March that left nearly 3,800 people dead and thousands homeless. Despite a brief truce between the junta and armed groups following the quake, fighting and air strikes have persisted, with conflict monitors reporting ongoing violence. Just in May, an air strike on a school in Oe Htein Kwin village killed 20 students and two teachers.
Junta spokesperson Zaw Min Tun did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the latest incident.
