Mizzima
A Myanmar junta airstrike on Khantatkone (East) village in Natogyi Township, Mandalay Region has resulted in the death of a monk and serious injuries to three women residing in houses near the monastery, according to residents.
The airstrikes occurred at 11 am on 6 June, as reported by a member of the Natogyi Township People’s Administration.
It was confirmed that the bomb exploded at the village monastery, killing a monk and seriously injuring three women from two nearby houses. Detailed information on casualties remains unclear.
“A jet fighter circled the village twice and dropped bombs twice, with two bombs per strike,” a villager said.
The attack was unexpected and unprovoked, with no preceding ground clashes, according to the Natogyi Township People’s Administration.
Following the airstrike, an army column from Tharyargone Village in Natogyi Township launched heavy artillery attacks on surrounding villages.
A resident described the chaos said, “Houses were shaken from the explosion. After hearing the first bomb, I was already terrified. When the jet fighter circled back for the second time, we had nowhere to sit and stay. We were running wherever we could.”
Fearing further airstrikes, approximately 20,000 residents from 17 villages, including Khantatkone (East), Taungpong, and Teipin, have fled their homes.
Earlier in the morning on 6 June, the junta also conducted airstrikes in Mingin Township in Sagaing Region and Thandwe and Maungdaw Townships in Rakhine State, local sources reported.
