An airstrike by the military junta on the Laei refugee camp in Pekon Township, located along the Shan-Kayah border, resulted in the deaths of 10 people, including six children, according to local relief workers. The attack occurred on the night of September 5, 2024.
At around 9 p.m. on September 5, two bombs were dropped from military aircraft on the Laei refugee camp. The bombing left two male students, four female students, and three women dead, with one person still missing. Search and rescue efforts are ongoing.
One of the local relief workers on the ground said, “We were nearby when we first heard the explosion. We didn’t know where it hit until later. Once we realized it struck the camp, we had to pull out everyone and move them to a safer place. This area is no longer safe.”
Of the two bombs dropped by the junta, one exploded at the edge of the camp, while the other directly hit a home within the camp, according to reports.
The Laei refugee camp houses more than 660 displaced people in 167 homes, and nearly 700 students attend school there. The Progressive Karenni People’s Force (PKPF) confirmed the details of the attack.
This was the seventh airstrike on the Laei refugee camp, though previous bombings had not resulted in fatalities. However, this latest attack has been the deadliest, with significant casualties reported.
The airstrike came just a day after Senior General Min Aung Hlaing visited Loikaw, the capital of Kayah (Karenni) State. On September 5, the military junta launched airstrikes targeting several refugee camps in the state, following the general’s visit.
