This Incident Report describes events occurring in Lu Thaw Township, Mu Traw (Hpapun) District, in April 2026. On 15 April 2026, the Burma Army carried out air strikes by fighter jet and Y-12 aircraft onto Za--- village, Kheh Pa village tract. Three villagers were killed and 11 villagers, including one child, were injured by the air strikes. Furthermore, 20 villagers’ houses were burnt, and almost all houses in the village were damaged by the air strikes. In addition, one clinic, one middle school, one school hall, one church, one church dining room, and one church community hall were destroyed by the air strike. Additionally, 23 motorbikes, three cars, two Starlink devices, four machine saws, two electric machines, three agricultural diesel engines, one rice milling machine, and one ploughing tractor owned by villagers were destroyed. There was no fighting happening in or nearby the village when the attacks occurred. There was a Christian group holding thanksgiving for a new church community hall when the air strikes were conducted. Also, on 16 April 2026, the Burma Army conducted an air strike onto Za--- village again. As a result, a 54-year-old villager named Saw P--- was injured on his shoulders. Consequently, after the air strikes, villagers in the village and nearby villages no longer dared to live in their villages, so they fled to the forest, and a few villagers fled to Thailand. Villagers face food shortages, sheltering issues, education challenges, and healthcare issues during their displacement.[1]

 

 

Part 1 – Incident Details

Type of Incident

[Air strike.] Burma Army[2] air strike caused deaths and injuries.

Date of Incident(s)

15 April 2026

Incident Location

(Village, Township and District)

Za--- village, Kheh Pa village tract,[3] Lu Thaw Township, Mu Traw District.

Victim Information (Deceased)

Name

Saw[4] A---

Saw B---

Saw C---

Age

63 years old

28 years old

43 years old

Gender

Man

Man

Man

Ethnicity

Karen

Karen

Karen

Marital Status  

Married

Married

Married

Occupation

Farmer

Farmer

Unknown

Religion

Christian

Christian

Christian

Position

[Villager]

[Villager]

[Villager]

Village

Za--- village, Kheh Pa village tract, Lu Thaw Township, Mu Traw District

Zd--- city, [in the centre of Burma]

Zd--- city [in the centre of Burma]

Victim Information (Injured)

Name

Age

Gender

Ethnicity

Marital Status  

Occupation

Religion

Position

Village

Saw D--- 

40

Man

Karen

Married

Farmer

Christian

[Villager]

Za--- village, Kheh Pa village tract, Lu Thaw Township, Mu Traw District

Naw[5] E---

35

Woman

Karen

Married

Farmer

Christian

[Villager]

Za--- village, Kheh Pa village tract, Lu Thaw Township, Mu Traw District

Naw G---

15

Girl

Karen

-

Farmer

Christian

[Villager]

Za--- village, Kheh Pa village tract, Lu Thaw Township, Mu Traw District

Saw H---

Unknown

Man

Karen

Unknown

Unknown

Christian

[Villager]

Zc--- village, Nah Koh Hkee village tract, Dwe Lo Township, Mu Traw District

Saw I---

Unknown

Man

Karen

Married

Unknown

Christian

[Villager]

Ze--- Town, Kler Lwee Htoo District

Rev. J---

Unknown

Man

Karen

Unknown

Missionary

Christian

Reverend

Zb--- Town, Mu Traw District

Rev. Saw K--

Unknown

Man

Karen

Unknown

Missionary

Christian

Reverend

Zd--- city [in the centre of Burma].

Saw L---

Unknown

Man

Karen

Unknown

Unknown

Christian

Unknown

Zg--- village, Hkaw Poo village tract, Bu Tho Township, Mu Traw District

Naw M---

32

Woman

Karen

Unknown

Unknown

Christian

Unknown

Za--- village, Kheh Pa village tract, Lu Thaw Township, Mu Traw District

Saw N---

Unknown

Man

Karen

Unknown

Unknown

Christian

Unknown

Zb--- Town, Mu Traw District

Unknown

Unknown

Man

Karen

Unknown

Unknown

Christian

Unknown

Unknown

Saw P---

54

Man

Karen

Married

Unknown

Unknown

Unknown

Za--- village, Kheh Pa village tract, Lu Thaw Township, Mu Traw District

Perpetrator Information (Armed Actors)

Type of Aircraft           

Unit

Base

Commander’s Name

Fighter jet

Burma Army Air Force

Unknown

[General Tun Aung serves as the Commander-in-Chief of the Burma Army Air Force]

Y-12

Burma Army Air Force

Unknown

[General Tun Aung serves as the Commander-in-Chief of the Burma Army Air Force]

 

Part 2 - Information Quality

1. Explain in detail how this information was collected.

I [a KHRG researcher] learned about this incident through a communication channel of authorities of the KNLA [Karen National Liberation Army].[6] After, I went to meet with local authorities [KNLA] in person at the incident place. This incident was truly frightening, and it caused huge difficulties.

2. Explain how the source verified this information.

Saw O---, who provided information [in an interview with the KHRG researcher], knew the information because the incident had happened in his village and he was close to the incident place. Also, he was one of the victims of this incident, so this information is true.

 

Part 3 – Complete Description of the Incident

Describe the Incident(s) in complete detail.

On 15 April 2026, at 4 pm, the Burma Army conducted air strikes by fighter jet and Y-12 aircraft onto Za--- village, Kheh Pa village tract, Lu Thaw Township, Mu Traw (Hpapun) District. The Burma Army dropped bombs starting from 4 pm until 5:30 pm. Regarding this incident, the types of the bombs they dropped were cluster bombs, 500-pound bombs, and 300-pound bombs. They also fired rockets, Oerlikon shells, and the Y-12 also shot with machine guns. As they dropped so many bombs, village administrators and villagers did not know the exact numbers of bombs that were dropped, but village administrators guessed that they dropped approximately 110 bombs. Also, there were some bombs that landed unexploded. The person who provided information and other villagers did not know the exact number of bombs that remain unexploded. There was no fighting happening in the village or in nearby villages at the moment of the air strikes.

 

A village tract leader [specific position censored for security reasons], Saw O---, from Za--- village, stated: “One of the aircraft was a fighter jet, the colour looked like camouflage, and the other aircraft was white and called Y-12. The air strike was conducted while a Christian group [denomination censored for security] organised thanksgiving for the new church community hall. Because the Burma Army conducted air strikes like this, children have become traumatised. Even when they [some children] displaced in the forest, they did not stay under the shade of trees or groups of bamboo. They stayed under the heat of the sun. It was because they were too afraid, so they acted abnormal, because their hearts were not still [their mental state was not normal due to panic]. It also caused big challenges for pregnant women when they needed to deliver their baby during displacement. We might be safe if the situation in our area improves, but our safety concern will be worse if things continue to be like this.”

 

Due to the air strike, three villagers named Saw A--- (63 years old) from Za--- village, and Saw B--- (28 years old) and Saw C--- (43 years old), both from Zd--- city [in the centre of Burma], were killed. The family members of those who were killed by the air strike faced difficulties in securing their livelihood since they lost their household head [breadwinner for the family]. All villagers who were killed were married.

 

In addition, 11 villagers were injured: Saw D--- (40 years old) was injured on his arms; Naw E--- (35 years old) was injured on her arms and thighs; Naw G--- (15 years old) was injured on her right shoulder; Saw H--- from Zc--- village [Nah Koh Hkee village tract, Dwe Lo Township, Mu Traw District] was injured on his arms, legs, and waist; Saw I--- from Ler Doh [Town] Brigade #3 [Kler Lwee Htoo District] was injured on his thighs and lost his legs; Rev. J--- from Zb--- Town [Mu Traw District] was injured on his waist and thighs; Rev. Saw K--- from Zd--- city was injured on his head; Saw L--- from Zg--- village [Hkaw Poo village tract, Bu Tho Township, Mu Traw District] was injured on his mouth; Naw M--- (32 years old) was injured on her thighs; Saw N--- [unknown age] from Zb--- Town was injured on his heels; and one villager [unknown information] was also injured. Villagers who were severely injured were transported to a hospital in Thailand [villagers and village leaders did not know which hospital they were they taken to] and those with minor injuries were transported to the Zh--- hospital, administered by the KDHW [Karen Department of Health and Welfare],[7] located in Zi--- Place, Yeh Muh Plaw village tract, Lu Thaw Township, all by Stronghold Rescue & Relief members. The injured villagers who were transported to Zh--- hospital received free treatment and they did not need to pay any medicine fees.

 

Furthermore, numerous houses were destroyed because of the air strikes. The houses of 20 villagers, including those owned by Saw Q---, Saw R---, Saw A---, Saw S---, Saw T---, Saw B---, Saw V---, Saw X---, Saw W---, Saw Y---, Saw Z---, Saw Aa---, Saw Ab---, Saw Ac---, Naw Ae---, Saw Ag---, Naw Ah---, Saw Ai---, and two unidentified villagers, were completely burnt down by the air strikes.

 

Additionally, some villagers’ belongings were also destroyed by the air strikes, including: three motorbikes, three machine saws, three agricultural diesel engines [used for water pumps, rice mills, generators, tractors, et cetera] owned by Saw Z---; one motorbike and one Starlink device owned by Saw B---; one motorbike and one Starlink device owned by Naw Ae---; one car and two motorbikes owned by Saw Ai---; two motorbikes and one rice milling machine owned by Saw Y---; one motorbike owned by Saw Aj---; one motorbike owned by Thara[8] Saw Ak--- from Zb--- Town; one car owned by Saw Ab---; one car owned by Saw Al---; one machine saw and one generator owned by Saw Q---; one generator owned by Saw O---; one motorbike and one ploughing tractor owned by Saw R---; one motorbike owned by Rev. Saw An--- from Zg--- village [Hkaw Poo village tract]; one hunting gun owned by Saw X---; one motorbike owned by Saw Ao--- from Zp--- village [Kheh Pa village tract]; one motorbike owned by Saw Ap---; one motorbike owned by Saw H--- from Zc--- village, and seven guests’ motorbikes (unknown owners).

 

Almost all of the villagers’ houses in the village were damaged by the shrapnel from the air strikes and machine gun bullets fired from the aircraft. The air strikes also destroyed: one church, one church’s dining room, one church community hall, one middle school [students’] dormitory, and the entire school run by the KECD [Karen Education and Cultural Department].[9]  The school is from reception class to Grade 7. Also, one [KDHW] Za--- village clinic was destroyed. Those who work in the clinic are local [KDHW] healthcare workers.

 

Then, on 16 April 2026, from 10:10 am until 10:25 am, a Burma Army fighter jet dropped bombs again onto Za--- village and injured Saw P--- (54 years old) on his shoulders.

 

After the air strikes, because many villagers were killed and injured and many houses were destroyed, villagers in the village and nearby villages felt a lack of security and were full of anxiety. So, they no longer dared to stay in their village. Therefore, they moved to a safer place where [they thought they could be] safe from harm. Some villagers fled to Thailand, while many others left the village and sought refuge in nearby forests for their safety. The challenges that villagers faced during their displacement are the following: [lack of] staple foods for their daily food, tarpaulin to make a shelter, and essential needs for the household; health issues; and education issues. When some of the villagers fled, they fled only with one set clothes on their body. They did not have time to grab and pack their things [due to the panic of the air strikes]. Currently [as of May 2026] no organisation or foundation has come to provide support. However, some villagers received support from their relatives, such as pots and plates. Starting from the day that the air strikes were conducted [15 April 2026] until now [May 2026], villagers dare not to return to their villages yet.

 

Part 4 - Permission for Using the Details

Did the victim(s) provide permission to use this information? Explain how that permission was provided.

Saw O---, who provided this information, allowed us [KHRG] to use this information, because both he and villagers faced and experienced severe air strikes this time. Therefore, he allowed us [KHRG] to use this information as he hopes this kind of experience [air strikes] will be reduced [stopped] in the future.

 

 

                    

Further background reading on the situation on air strikes in Southeast Burma/Myanmar can be found in the following KHRG reports:

 
Wed, 01 Jul 2026

Footnotes: 

[1] The present document is based on information received in April 2026. It was provided by community members in Mu Traw District who have been trained by KHRG as a researcher to monitor human rights conditions on the ground. The names of the victims, their photos and the exact locations are censored for security reasons. The parts in square brackets are explanations added by KHRG. This document combines several received reports with the following KHRG internal log numbers: #26-133-D1; #26-135-A1-I1; and #26-135-I1.

[2] The terms Burma military, Burma Army, SAC, Tatmadaw, and junta are used interchangeably throughout this report to describe the Burma military regime’s armed forces. Villagers themselves commonly use Burma Army, Burmese soldiers, or alternatively the name adopted by the Burma military regime at the time —from the 2021 coup to July 2025, the State Administration Council (SAC). On 31 July 2025, the military junta changed its name to the State Security and Peace Commission (SSPC).

[3] A village tract is an administrative unit of between five and 20 villages in a local area, often centred on a large village.

[4] Saw is a S’gaw Karen male honorific title used before a person’s name.

[5] ‘Naw’ is a S’gaw Karen female honorific title used before a person’s name.

[6] The Karen National Liberation Army is the armed wing of the Karen National Union.

[7] The Karen Department of Health and Welfare (KDHW) is the health department of the Karen National Union. It was established in 1956 to address the lack of public healthcare resources in rural Southeast Myanmar. It currently operates a network of community-based clinics in the region, but its capabilities remain limited due to funding constraints.

[8] ‘Thara’ is a Karen term that translates as ‘teacher (male)’, and is used as an honorific for any teacher, pastor, or person to whom one wishes to show respect.

[9] The Karen Education and Culture Department is the education department of the Karen National Union. Its main goals are to provide mother tongue education services to rural Karen populations in Southeast Myanmar, as well as to preserve the Karen language, culture and history. Despite being an important education provider in the region, it is not officially recognised by the Myanmar government.

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