11 civilians killed in Myanmar junta airstrikes on village clinic in northern Magway Region

A doctor and his family were among at least 11 civilians killed by a junta airstrike on a village clinic in Magway Region’s Gangaw Township on Saturday, according to residents.The attack, which took place at around 8:40am, targeted Hnan Khar, a village located about 36 miles north of the town of Gangaw. The clinic, situated in the centre of the village, had just opened for the day, sources told Myanmar Now.“The entire home housing the clinic was obliterated in the explosion. There were body parts scattered all over the place. A neighbouring house was also reduced to ashes,” said a man from Gangaw who was visiting the village when it came under attack.The clinic’s head doctor, his pregnant wife and child, a family of three, an elderly woman and her grandchild, several members of the clinic’s staff, and a neighbour were all killed instantly, residents said. Many others were also reported injured.The exact number of deaths could not be confirmed at the time of reporting due to the condition of the bodies, said the man from Gangaw.“Some children’s bodies were missing limbs, others had no heads or torsos. We gathered the pieces and took them away in a car,” he said.In video footage obtained by Myanmar Now, a charred body was visible in the remains of a house compound, still smouldering amid the debris of buildings set ablaze.Residents of Hnan Khar, a village of around 1,000 households, have fled the area fearing further airstrikes, sources said.In December 2021, at least 20 people were killed in Hnan Khar after a school in the village was hit by an airstrike that was followed by a ground raid.Gangaw is part of northern Magway’s Yaw region, where the regime has carried out numerous airstrikes since the beginning of this year. On March 20, an assault targeting the village of Ahlelban in Htilin Township killed at least four people, including two schoolgirls.Residents of the area have been warned by resistance authorities to sleep in bomb shelters, as the military continues to target civilian areas.According to a statement released by the National Unity Government’s Ministry of Human Rights on March 14, the junta conducted over 200 airstrikes across the country in February, resulting in 142 deaths, 368 injuries, and the destruction of more than 200 homes, 12 schools, and 15 healthcare facilities.The report stated that Magway Region suffered the second-highest number of airstrikes, with 44 attacks leading to 31 fatalities and 52 injuries.

11 civilians killed in Myanmar junta airstrikes on village clinic in northern Magway Region

The victims included patients, clinic staff, and the doctor and his pregnant wife and child

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