At least 23 people, including four children, were killed in an airstrike on a monastery in Myanmar’s Sagaing region on Friday, according to eyewitnesses and local officials.

Hlaing Bwa, head of the pro-democracy “People’s Administration” in the region, told Reuters that the monastery was sheltering around 200 civilians displaced by nearby fighting between the military and anti-junta forces.

Myanmar has been in turmoil since a military coup in February 2021 overthrew the elected government of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, triggering widespread armed resistance and ongoing clashes across the country.

Sagaing has become a key center of resistance, frequently witnessing military operations that have resulted in civilian casualties and the destruction of non-military infrastructure.