Residents in Magway Region’s Saw Township said that at least 15 civilians, including children and a monk, were killed and 27 others were injured in an airstrike carried out by the military on a monastery in Ahkyipanpalun village of Kyauktu town on Thursday.
“The monastery was engulfed in flames. They unleashed a barrage of 500-pound explosives and incendiary bombs. The number of injured remains uncertain as patients have been transported to various hospitals. Efforts are underway to find those unaccounted for,” an Ahkyipanpalun resident told DVB.
Rescue workers recovered the bodies of the victims following the airstrike. The injured are reportedly suffering from severe burns. Witnesses stated that the attack occurred on May 9 – the same day that the People’s Defense Force (PDF), public administration officials, and residents held a meeting at the monastery.
Neither the military regime nor the PDF have made public statements about the airstrike on the monastery in Ahkipanpalun village. An airstrike on Pazigyi village of Kanbalu Township, Sagaing Region, during a local administration meeting killed over 160 people on April 11, 2023. The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners has documented at least 4,981 people killed by pro-military forces since the 2021 coup.
