A Myanmar military air strike has obliterated a civilian supply convoy stranded between junta forces and anti-coup rebels near Mandalay, killing at least eight people, according to local residents.

The attack took place Monday afternoon in Taung Yin village, Sagaing region, just 17 kilometres from the city. The trucks  reportedly carrying fuel to rebel-held areas  had been halted by intense fighting when military aircraft descended. What followed, witnesses say, was a two-hour bombardment.

“We could not even raise our heads,” one resident said, describing scenes of burning vehicles and bodies torn apart. Images from the site, verified by AFP, show charred trucks spilling thick smoke and villagers lifting the dead from the wreckage.

The military has not commented, but locals believe the strike was meant to choke off supplies to areas beyond its control. The attack is the latest in a series of air assaults that have become a signature tactic of the junta since its 2021 coup  often hitting civilian targets.

With more than 3.5 million people displaced and half the country in poverty, the regime is pushing ahead with plans for a December election, a move opponent dismisses as an attempt to cement military power. In central Myanmar, recent junta advances have been accompanied by an escalation in air strikes, leaving residents to count the cost in lives and ruins.

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