Intense air and artillery bombardments by Myanmar junta forces securing an upriver naval supply convoy have killed multiple civilians, including children, across Sagaing Region and Kachin State, residents and emergency officials reported Thursday.

The military launched indiscriminate strikes along the Ayeyarwady River to clear a path for a 14-vessel flotilla carrying weapons, ammunition, and provisions from Mandalay.

The naval convoy docked in Katha Town on the evening of August 25 after days of continuous escort bombardments along the riverbanks.

Between August 23 and 24, junta artillery units shelled Kyuntaw, a riverside village near Shwegu Town in Kachin State, killing four civilians, including a young child.

Concurrent airstrikes targeted Kalon village on the Katha–Tigyaing border and Kamphyu village in Wetlet Township, leaving one civilian dead, two injured, and a monastery chapel in Shwegu’s Sithaw village destroyed.

“Since the junta flotilla started its journey, aircraft have been bombing riverside villages almost continuously,” a resident from the Katha–Shwegu border area told Network Media Group (NMG). “They even attacked pagodas and religious buildings without sparing them.”

Ground troops deployed in Shwegu Township are reportedly detaining civilians and commandeering private vehicles to fortify security operations for the military vessels.

 The ongoing escalation has triggered mass displacement from riverside settlements, leaving several communities deserted and vulnerable to secondary criminal activity, including armed robberies.

At least 15 civilians have been killed in Shwegu Township alone since June 11 due to junta airstrikes and heavy artillery shelling.

With fighting expected to intensify as the flotilla continues its voyage, resistance-led local administrations have issued urgent evacuation orders for residents living along the Ayeyarwady River.