Attack on Myanmar Monastery Kills 23, Including Children

At least 23 people, among them four children, were killed in an early morning strike on a monastery located in Myanmar’s Sagaing region, according to eyewitness accounts.

The incident took place at a monastery in Lintalu village during the early hours of Friday, said Hlaing Bwa, a leading figure in the Sagaing District People’s Administration, a local group that supports pro-democracy activities in the region.

Both Hlaing Bwa and a local villager claimed the monastery was struck by an air assault carried out by the State Administration Council, Myanmar’s military-led government. Officials from the military authority have not yet responded to inquiries.

The monastery was reportedly sheltering around 200 individuals who had fled nearby areas due to ongoing clashes between junta forces and resistance fighters, Hlaing Bwa said.

The exact nature of the strike has not been independently confirmed.

A representative from the opposition-aligned National Unity Government, which monitors military air operations, was also unavailable for comment.

Since the military took control in a 2021 coup, ousting the civilian leadership of Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar has plunged deeper into widespread violence and unrest.

Following a major earthquake that struck Sagaing on March 28, registering a magnitude of 7.7 and claiming nearly 3,700 lives, the military announced a short-term ceasefire to allow for humanitarian relief and reconstruction. Opposition forces had also indicated willingness to suspend hostilities.

Despite the declared truce, the military has continued to launch air and artillery strikes on rebel-held territories, including areas already devastated by the earthquake.

In May, the NUG accused the military of conducting a deadly air raid on a school in Depayin, also in Sagaing, where at least 17 students reportedly lost their lives. That town lies close to the earthquake’s epicenter.

Phoe Kaine, a local from Lintalu who resides near the monastery, said that besides the 23 confirmed fatalities, several others were seriously injured in the incident.

“We are evacuating patients in need of immediate medical attention as part of our ongoing rescue and relief efforts,” Phoe Kaine said.