The People’s Defence Force (PDF) and residents of Lintalu village, Sagaing Township, told DVB that at least 30 civilians were killed and 14 others were injured by an airstrike carried out by the Myanmar Air Force on a monastery sheltering around 100 residents, displaced from their homes, in Sagaing Region on Friday.
“Many were killed because the attack occurred while people were sleeping,” a Sagaing resident told DVB. Sagaing is located 68 miles (109 km) east of the region’s capital Monywa and 50 miles (80 km) northwest of Mandalay.
Fighting between the PDF and regime forces has been ongoing over the last month in Sagaing and nearby villages. Pro-regime social media accounts claimed that the airstrike targeted the PDF stationed in Lintalu village.
Six towns are under PDF control in the region. Although Sagaing Township remains under regime control, areas surrounding it are active conflict zones. The National Unity Government (NUG) claimed that 90 civilians were killed by airstrikes across the country in June.
Mandalay, Sagaing, Magway, and southern Shan State have seen the highest frequency of attacks. These are four out of the six hardest-hit regions by the 7.7-magnitude earthquake that struck central Myanmar on March 28.
The earthquake killed at least 4,520 people and injured 11,366, according to DVB data. The regime places its toll at nearly 4,000 bodies recovered, with over 5,000 injured, since March 28.
Over three months since the quake, the U.N. estimates that 6.3 million people remain in urgent need across affected areas, with 70 percent yet to receive any humanitarian assistance.
Ceasefires were declared in the aftermath of the earthquake. The Brotherhood Alliance, which is comprised of the Arakan Army (AA), the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), and the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) announced its truce on March 30, while the regime announced its a few days later, on April 2.
Both sides extended their respective post-quake ceasefires until June 30, but no announcements of further extensions have been announced in July. At least 727 civilians have been killed in 1,224 regime air and artillery attacks since March 28, according to DVB data.
