Fourteen killed in strike on Myanmar monastery

What the report says

Fourteen people were killed in military air strikes on a monastery in central Myanmar, according to opposition fighters and a local rescue worker cited by BBC World News. The reported attack took place early on Friday in Myaung township in Sagaing region, west of Mandalay, and the site was said to have been hit twice. The rescue worker told BBC Burmese that the victims were all elderly and that several monks were injured.

The article says civilians had gathered at the monastery for a meditation retreat linked to Buddhist Lent when the strikes happened around 09:00 local time. An opposition figure quoted by AFP said the dead included 11 men and three women, with ages estimated between 50 and 70. Another opposition fighter said aircraft returned while people were trying to help survivors.

Myanmar’s military had not commented at the time of publication. The account comes against the backdrop of Myanmar’s civil war, which began after the 2021 coup. BBC World News notes that the military is often accused of attacking civilian sites, while it says it has previously claimed to target only legitimate military objectives. The reported deaths at a religious site highlight the continuing danger to civilians in conflict-affected areas.