A devastating early Friday air strike carried out by Myanmar’s military on a rural monastery in central Myanmar has left 14 elderly civilians dead and multiple monks injured, according to accounts from opposition fighters and local emergency responders. The fatal attack, which hit the religious site twice, unfolded around 9 a.m. local time in Chhay Hoe O village, Myaung township of Sagaing region — roughly 70 kilometers west of the country’s second-largest city Mandalay, AFP reports. At the time of the strike, dozens of civilian worshippers had gathered at the monastery to take part in a meditation retreat marking the start of Buddhist Lent, a major annual observance in the majority-Buddhist nation. Local rescue workers confirmed all 14 people killed in the attack were between 50 and 70 years old. The casualty breakdown, shared by pro-democracy opposition fighter Nway Oo Myaung with AFP, counts 11 men and three women among the dead. Five victims hailed from the targeted village itself, while the other nine traveled from a nearby adjacent township. One anonymous opposition fighter who participated in post-strike search and rescue operations described a chaotic, dangerous scene. When first responders arrived to pull survivors from the rubble of the damaged monastery, military aircraft returned to carry out a second bombing run, putting rescue teams directly at risk. Myanmar has been mired in widespread civil conflict since the 2021 military coup that removed the elected government led by Aung San Suu Kyi from power. The entire country has operated under military-imposed martial law since the putsch, and the national military has repeatedly faced accusations of targeting civilian infrastructure and populated areas in its campaign against anti-junta opposition forces. Military officials have consistently denied these claims, asserting that their operations only target what they classify as legitimate military objectives. As of Saturday, Myanmar’s military leadership has not issued any public comment in response to reports of the monastery attack.