One person was killed and at least eight others were injured when a junta airstrike hit Mongyai Town in northern Shan State, on 9 October 2024, causing panic amongst the population.

A 20-year-old woman was killed and at least eight others were injured when the junta dropped four bombs on a sugar factory guesthouse and worker dormitories near Mongyai Town at 2:30 am on 9 October, according to a Mongyai Town resident who spoke to Shan Herald Agency for News.

They said: “At 2:30 a.m. this morning, the junta dropped four bombs from two aircraft on a guesthouse and worker dormitories at a sugar factory. A 20-year-old woman has died, and at least eight others have been injured. Among them, two women lost one leg each. Another woman lost one of her hands. The factory owner also suffered severe injuries.”

Currently, the injured are being treated at Mongyai Public Hospital and Kyethi Public Hospital, about 44 miles (about 70 km) from Mongyai Town.

The airstrike also destroyed the sugar factory guesthouse, all the workers dormitories and the owner’s house.

The aforementioned Mongyai Town resident said: “The sugar factory, worker dormitories, and the owner’s house are all completely destroyed. The injured people are receiving medical treatment at the hospital. Since the owner was also Chinese, the junta thought the Kokang Army [The Myanmar National Democracy Alliance Army or MNDAA] was there, so they bombed the area. The airstrike was targeting that location. People are very scared and worried about  possible fighting.”

Mongyai Town is currently under the control of the Shan State Progress Party (SSPP) which sent troops to take over the town in mid-July, from its headquarters in Wan Hai Village in Kyethi Township, about 45 miles (72 km) south of Mongyai Town, in Shan State.

The airstrikes have caused fear and panic amongst the inhabitants of Mongyai Town because they worry that the junta is gearing up for an assault on the town which means there will again be fighting in the town.

Since the last week of September, the junta has been sending reinforcements to Hoya Village, about 7.5 miles (12 km) from Mongyai Town in Mongyai Township. Tensions in the area between the junta and MNDAA troops stationed about six miles (10 km) away from Hoya Village in Mongai Township, remain high.

Previously, at 8:00 pm on 29 September 2024, the junta launched an airstrike that injured four people and damaged several houses in Kaungmaung Village, to the north of Hoya Village in Mongyai Township.