Junta forces bombed a school in central Myanmar, killing at least 17 students, the country’s exiled civilian administration told Radio Free Asia on Monday.
A jet fired at Sagaing region’s Oe Htein Kwin village in Tabayin township, which is under rebel control.
“As far as we know now, 17 young students have died and more than 20 were injured. Some are still missing because of the bomb, so the death toll could be higher,” said Nay Bone Latt, a spokesperson for the prime minister’s office of the National Unity Government.
“The children in the school were intentionally targeted in the bombing. The junta often uses propaganda to say after deliberately attacking areas with displaced people and children, that they were bombed because of revolutionary forces.”
Two teachers on duty died in the attack, residents said, adding that other casualties could not be estimated yet.
A junta jet from the nearby Mandalay region’s Meiktila Air Force Base attacked the school in Oe Htein Kwin village during class time, according to residents.
“This morning around 9:30, the jet began bombing. The school was closed for exams, but re-opened today,” said one resident, who declined to be named for security reasons.
Medical centers nearby are overwhelmed because many victims are severely injured, he added.
The junta has not published any information regarding the bombing, and calls to junta spokesperson Maj. Gen. Zaw Min Tun went unanswered.
The junta declared a ceasefire from April 2 to May 31 to aid in earthquake recovery for severely affected Sagaing and Mandalay regions, as well as Shan state, but airstrikes and heavy artillery attacks have since killed over 200 people.
Translated by Kiana Duncan. Edited by Taejun Kang.
