Photo: A mobile medical team was treating earthquake victims in Aidai village, Sagaing Township, when the military council launched an airstrike on the afternoon of April 21. The attack injured two monks and four local residents who were treating them. (CJ)

Six monks and local residents were injured in Aidaing village, Sagaing Township, when a military junta airstrike struck a monastery where a mobile medical team was treating victims of the recent earthquake.

A witness at the scene reported that the junta’s air force launched the aerial attack on the afternoon of 21 April, directly targeting the temporary clinic set up at Aidaing Monastery.

“The military bombed the medical team while many people were gathered nearby seeking treatment. A total of six monks and civilians were injured at Aidaing Monastery,” a witness said.

According to a local source, monks from the monastery and four individuals receiving medical care were wounded in the strike. Members of the mobile medical team, however, escaped without injury.

Aidaing village lies along the Ayeyarwady River, northeast of Sagaing city, between Madaya and Mingun towns. The mobile team had reportedly come from Madaya to assist those affected by the disaster.

The attack follows the 7.7-magnitude earthquake that struck near Sagaing and Mandalay on 28 March, causing widespread destruction and significant casualties in the region. While the junta maintains control over urban centres, most surrounding villages are under the control of resistance forces.

Although the military declared a ceasefire from 2 to 22 April in the aftermath of the earthquake, continued airstrikes on civilians and humanitarian workers violate international law and may constitute war crimes, according to a defence force member in Sagaing.

Resistance sources also reported that, between 1 and 21 April, the junta launched at least 20 airstrikes across Thabeikkyin, Singu, and Madaya townships in Mandalay Region, killing at least 60 civilians.