Three students were killed and six others injured when Myanmar's military launched an airstrike and drone assault on a Christian Bible school in Karen State, according to Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW).
The attack occurred Tuesday in Day Bu Noh village in Hpapun District, an area largely populated by Christian Karen communities. Military aircraft reportedly dropped bombs before armed drones struck the village, with one exploding directly above the Bible school.
Two female students died at the scene, while a third died the following day during an emergency transfer to Thailand for medical treatment, CSW reported Thursday.
“CSW is outraged and appalled by the junta’s deliberate attack on a Christian Bible school in Hpapun District, which claimed the lives of three young women and injured six others,” CSW CEO Scot Bower said in a statement.
“The systematic targeting of religious institutions and civilian youth in predominantly Christian ethnic areas is a severe violation of international humanitarian law,” Bower continued. “The Myanmar military continues to act with complete impunity, [weaponizing] air power against religious communities. We urge the international community to take swift, coordinated action to enforce an aviation fuel embargo and hold the regime to account.”
According to CSW, the assault began around 3 p.m. despite no active fighting in the area. Military jets dropped more than 10 bombs before armed drones continued bombarding the village for approximately an hour.
Seven students were initially reported injured. Local officials helped evacuate two critically wounded students across the Salween River to Thailand, but one died en route to Sop Moei Hospital. The six surviving injured students remained under emergency medical care.
Myanmar has experienced widespread conflict since the military seized power in February 2021, overthrowing the elected government and detaining civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi. The coup sparked nationwide protests and armed resistance, including fighting involving ethnic minority groups in predominantly Christian Karen, Kachin and Chin regions.
The latest attack follows other incidents involving Christian places of worship. On Oct. 9, military aircraft bombed Mindat in southern Chin State, destroying a Presbyterian church building. No casualties were reported.
On Oct. 12, troops from the military's 33rd and 88th Light Infantry Divisions reportedly burned down Htingnan Kachin Baptist Church and nearby homes in Bhamo Township, Kachin State.
The monitoring organization Myanmar Witness reported in April that it had documented more than 300 airstrikes on religious sites, including churches, mosques and Buddhist monasteries, between January 2024 and December 2025.
