Myanmar Air Force strikes flood-hit Sagaing Region as military blockades emergency aid

The Myanmar Air Force carried out three airstrikes on Khin-U Township in Sagaing Region on Tuesday, targeting an area already reeling from serious flooding. While no casualties were reported from the Khin-U strikes, three military fighter jets flew reconnaissance sorties over neighboring Wetlet, Shwebo, and Sagaing towns.

The four townships—located 50 to 70 miles (80 to 112 km) northeast and east of the region’s capital Monywa—have been partially administered by opposition the People’s Defense Force (PDF) since 2022.

Military blockade stops flood relief at Yadanabon Bridge

The aerial escalation comes as military forces enforce a tight humanitarian blockade around flood-damaged communities in Sagaing.

Volunteer rescue workers reported that regime troops have shut down the Sagaing Bridge (Yadanabon Bridge)—the primary arterial crossing connecting Sagaing and Mandalay across the Irrawaddy River—turning back all vehicles attempting to deliver relief supplies from Mandalay and Yangon.

Military checkpoints along major roadways leading into Sagaing are actively confiscating medical supplies and blocking aid convoys.

“The military checkpoints along the roads to Sagaing don’t let medicine pass through. Aid workers fear for their security, so many cannot reach Sagaing to deliver supplies,” a representative of the volunteer aid group in Sagaing called “Vitamins” told DVB.

Relief groups warn that once floodwaters recede, displaced families will face an acute shortage of construction materials to rebuild destroyed homes alongside critical shortages of food and potable water.

Sagaing flood impact: 23 dead and 220,000 displaced

The National Unity Government (NUG) reported on Aug. 11 that flood-related fatalities in Sagaing Region have reached 23 dead and two missing across 13 townships: Shwebo, Taze, Kanbalu, Ayardaw, Depayin, Kyunhla, Kawlin, Wetlet, Ye-U, Banmauk, Myinmu, Sagaing, and Khin-U.

The flooding surged on Aug. 6 when emergency water discharges from the Thaphan Seik Dam spillway in Kyunhla Township caused the downstream Mu River to breach its banks, submerging dozens of agricultural villages and displacement camps.

Nationwide emergency response and resistance aid efforts

Across Myanmar, more than 440,000 residents are affected by monsoon flooding and dam discharges, with local communities in Ayeyarwady, Mandalay, and Sagaing regions accusing the military regime in Naypyidaw of failing to provide functional relief.

The Sagaing Federal Unit Interim Government was established in November 2025 by elected National League for Democracy (NLD) lawmakers ousted during the 2021 coup.

NUG Deputy Minister for Social, Labour and Humanitarian Affairs Ngai Tam Maung confirmed that joint emergency teams are attempting to route assistance through rural networks to bypass military roadblocks.