Read RFA coverage of this topic in Burmese.
Myanmar’s air force bombed a wedding party for two pro-democracy fighters on Tuesday, killing at least 10 people, members of the anti-junta force in the Magway region told Radio Free Asia.
It was not immediately clear if the bride and groom, both members of an insurgent People’s Defense Force, or PDF, in Myaing township were among the casualties, they said.
“They bombed the PDF wedding. They did it during refreshments in the monastery. It was a direct hit,” said one resident of Son Kone village where the attack occurred in the mid-morning.
“The jet flew around there twice. There are many casualties and injuries,” said the resident, who declined to be identified for security reasons.
RFA called Magway region’s junta spokesperson, Myo Myint, for information on the attack but he did not respond by the time of publication.
However, pro-military accounts on the Telegram messaging app said that an attack had been launched on the wedding party and there were many casualties.
Son Kone is about 140 kilometers (90 miles miles) southwest of the city of Mandalay, in a central heartland area that has seen a surge of violence since the military ousted an elected government in 2021.
Anti-junta activists from the majority Burman community have formed PDFs, which are loyal to the parallel National Unity Government in exile, to battle to end military rule in alliance with ethnic minority insurgent groups, some of which have been fighting for self-determination for generations.
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The jet that attacked the wedding took off from the Meiktila Air Base, about 140 kilometers (90 miles) to the southeast, in neighboring Mandalay region, said a member of Myaing PDF, of which both the bride and groom were soldiers.
“The monastery is destroyed,” said the PDF member, who declined to be identified for security reasons. “About 10 people have been killed and there are a lot of wounded.”
A military helicopter was circling the area in the afternoon and villagers had yet to return to identify those killed, the resident said.
Some 20,000 civilians fled from their homes in Mgaway’s Pwintbyu township, to the south of Myaing, early this month during days of heavy fighting between rebels and junta troops, residents said.
According to data compiled by RFA, 1,769 were killed nationwide in 2024 by junta airstrikes and heavy artillery.
Translated by Kiana Duncan. Edited by RFA Staff.