Airstrike in central Myanmar kills up to 22 people at bombed school, reports say

A deadly airstrike by Myanmar's military on a school in Sagaing region killed more than 20 students, sparking international outrage.

An airstrike by Myanmar’s military on a village in the country’s central Sagaing region hit a school on Monday (May 12, 2025), killing as many as 20 students and two teachers, according to a member of a resistance group, an aid worker and media reports.

The morning attack on Ohe Htein Twin village in the region’s Tabayin township, also known as Depayin, also wounded dozens of students, they said.

Neither the military government nor state-controlled media have released information about the reported airstrike.

The military has increasingly used airstrikes to counter a widespread armed struggle against its rule, which began in February 2021 when it seized power from the elected Government of Aung San Suu Kyi.

More than 6,600 civilians are estimated to have been killed by security forces since then, according to figures compiled by non-governmental organisations.

A member of the White Depeyin People’s Defence Force resistance group fighting against army rule told The Associated Press that a fighter jet dropped a bomb directly onto a school, where many students from primary to high school levels were studying after 9 a.m..

The area is about 115 km northwest of Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-largest city.