Airstrikes carried out by Myanmar’s military in southern Shan State’s Pekhon Township on Tuesday left two people in critical condition and several others seriously injured, according to local sources.
The assault began shortly after noon on Tuesday in the village of Saung Hpway, which was hit by a total of 15 airborne bombs, including two that landed inside a hospital compound but did not detonate, the sources said.
Around 100 patients and staff were in the hospital at the time, a spokesperson for the Kayan National Health Council (KNHC), which operates the facility, told Myanmar Now.
Five people were injured by the first bomb, including a woman who had just given birth and her mother-in-law, who were both said to be in critical condition.
No injuries were reported when a second bomb landed on the hospital 15 minutes later because everyone had been evacuated by then, according to Ieaphrine, the KNHC spokesperson.
The hospital, which had been set up to provide care for villagers displaced by conflict in the region, also suffered extensive damage, according to Myanmar Now’s reporter who visited the site on Wednesday.
The reporter observed that several buildings in the hospital compound, including an operating room, an outpatient department, and administrative offices and staff housing, were destroyed, as were two vehicles used as ambulances and a motorcycle.
According to Ieaphrine, junta fighter jets and other aircraft had been seen flying over the area in recent days.
“We kept seeing them flying over us, but we didn’t think they would actually bomb us. They didn’t even hover overhead this time—they just started dropping bombs straight away,” he said.
He added that he was unsure how many aircraft were involved in Tuesday’s attack, as he was busy evacuating patients from the hospital at the time. However, he said he believed there were at least two or three.
The hospital, which handles around 1,500 patients a month, provides healthcare for local residents as well as displaced villagers, he added.
“I don’t have the words for this. They don’t even seem to care that they are committing inhuman acts,” he said of the military’s assault on hospital patients and those caring for them.
Last week, on April 18, junta troops raided a community-run clinic after being airlifted into Ma Gyi Kan, a village in Magway Region’s Myaing Township, by helicopter. Around 300 people, including patients and health workers, were arrested.
The military also reportedly bombed a hospital in Daw Ta Ma Gyi, a village in Karenni (Kayah) State’s Demoso Township, on March 24.
