According to local residents, nearly 30 people, including children, were killed and more than 20 injured in an airstrike by the Military Council on a wedding in Minking Township, Sagaing Region. Aid workers said the death toll could rise.
At least 30 people were killed in an airstrike by the Military Council on the morning of June 3 in Mataw village, next to the Chindwin River in Minking Township, when a wedding was being held on the morning of June 3, according to a local defense commander who is helping the injured.
“The death toll has exceeded 29. Children. The number of injured has exceeded 24. There are between 7 and 10 people who are concerned. Among the affected are mainly children. We are looking for bodies not where they are, but where they are scattered. We can only confirm 29 at the moment. There may be more than now. There are cases that cannot be found.”
Mataw village is only 2 miles away from Minking town and is next to the Chindwin river. After the bombardment, heavy weapons were fired from the army stationed on Minking town, and the rescuers said that it was difficult to carry out rescue operations.
Locals also said that the wedding of a member of the local defense force was attacked by air. As many people died and were injured due to the attack, residents of nearby villages, including Mataw village, who are worried about their security, are fleeing to safety.
“When the wedding was being held, a jet fighter came up and dropped the bomb. They dropped it almost after the wedding. It fell next to the wedding hall. It was dropped at a time when there were a lot of people, so the casualties were high. The 6 villages of Yungtha, Mataw, Letpan seih, Nga onh, Padolon, and Nga onh Chaung, and Eh Yua were no longer living in the villages and were hiding in the forests.”
The Military Council has yet to issue any news regarding the attack that killed many local residents. Locals also said that the bride and groom survived the wedding attack without being killed. At present, ground rescue is being carried out and the injured are being treated at hospitals, said those helping.
Last year, on April 11, 2023, the army bombed the opening ceremony of the public administration office in Pazi Gyi Village, Kanbalu District, Sagaing Division, killing 174 people, including 38 children. The United Nations has often reported that it is concerned about the civilian casualties caused by airstrikes and heavy weaponry by the military council in Myanmar’s military conflict.
Hits: 3