Air strike on school kills children and teachers in Myanmar

Telegraph

13-05-2025

At least 20 children and two teachers were killed in an air strike on a school in Myanmar.
The strike, on Monday, hit the village of Oe Htein Kwin – some 65 miles north-west of the epicentre of a devastating earthquake six weeks ago. The attack came despite a ceasefire being in effect to help the country, which is ravaged by a civil war, recover from the natural disaster.
So far 22 people have died, according to a list of fatalities shared with The Telegraph by doctors at the scene. Among the youngest killed was a seven-year-old girl, while two female teachers died and at least 102 people were injured.
Photos of the aftermath seen by The Telegraph, many too graphic to publish, show a gaping hole in the green building's ceiling, while debris is strewn across the classrooms.
One image shows the children's lifeless bodies wrapped in blankets, surrounded by their distraught families. In another, dismembered body parts are strewn across the floor. Outside, abandoned book bags were piled beside a Myanmar flag in a makeshift memorial for the dead.
'We tried to spread out the children, but the fighter was too fast and dropped its bombs,' a 34-year-old school teacher said.
Targeting civilians
The state-run MRTV television station denied the reports of the airstrike in Monday evening's news broadcast – claiming there was 'no air strike on non-military targets' and that subversive media outlets were spreading fake news.
But Sai Arkar, a human rights associate at Fortify Rights, said the junta had consistently hit civilian infrastructure – including hospitals, religious sites, refugee camps and schools – with no legitimate military targets nearby, in an attempt to squash opposition since a coup took place in February 2021.
'The level of the junta's brutality is almost incomparable,' said Mr Arkar. 'While this latest attack on schools might be larger than previous or recent ones, the junta's cruel nature and their objective to instill fear in the people remain unchanged.'
According to a resistance fighter, there had been no recent fighting in the region – although Sagaing, a northern region bordering India, is a stronghold for opposition to the military regime.
'Immense suffering'
Antonio Guterres, the United Nations secretary-general, said on Monday that he was concerned that the strikes took place in a region hit hard by the earthquake six weeks ago. The UN said last week more than 200 civilians had been killed in at least 243 military attacks since the earthquake, 171 of which were air strikes.
'Reports of attacks, including in Sagaing and other areas impacted by the March 28 earthquakes, add further to the already immense suffering of people in Myanmar, where over one third of the country requires humanitarian aid,' said Stephane Dujarric, Mr Guterres's spokesman.
According to a situation report from Unicef, as of May 7 the death toll from the earthquake stands at 3,792.
With more than 55,000 buildings damaged or destroyed, families have been forced to sleep in makeshift shelters on the streets, where they've faced an early rain season and sweltering temperatures as high as 40C.
Catherine West, the Indo-Pacific minister, said: 'We are horrified by reports of a Myanmar regime airstrike on a school in an earthquake-affected area at a time when a ceasefire has been announced. Schools are meant to be a place of safety and opportunity, not collateral in a conflict.
'We repeat our call to all parties, particularly the Myanmar military, to refrain from airstrikes, safeguard civilians, and protect civilian infrastructure.'