In brief
A military air strike on a monastery in Myaung township, Sagaing, caused the deaths of 14 elderly monks and civilian participants. The victims, aged between 50 and 70, were attending a Buddhist Lent meditation retreat. Opposition fighters and a local rescue worker reported the site was hit twice, injuring several monks. The incident comes amid Myanmar’s ongoing civil war following the 2021 coup, with the army frequently accused of targeting public sites.
Fourteen people were killed in an early‑afternoon military air strike on a monastery in Myaung township, Sagaing region, Myanmar. According to opposition fighters and a local rescue worker, the victims were all elderly and among them were several monks who were injured as well.
Witnesses said the site, hosting a Buddhist Lent meditation retreat, was bombed twice around 09:00 local time (02:30 GMT). The attack cut down 11 men and three women, aged between 50 and 70. Five of those killed were from one village, the rest from a neighbouring township.
During rescue attempts the aircraft launched a second bombing run, as recounted by an unnamed opposition fighter who was searching for survivors. The Myanmar military has not issued a comment on the incident.
Myanmar remains engulfed in a civil war that began with the 2021 coup against Aung San Suu Kyi, and the army has been under martial rule since. The military frequently faces allegations of targeting public buildings, though it maintains that its strikes target only legitimate military objectives.
