Two Novices Dead, Five Seriously Injured After 40mm Shell Explodes During Play

Two novice monks were killed and five novice monks and one monastery student were seriously injured when a 40mm mortar shell they had picked up exploded at a monastery in Inkabin Village, Sip Phyu Township, Magway Region.

It is reported that on August 24, young novice monks returning from alms rounds brought an unexploded 40mm mortar shell to the refectory, where it exploded at around 11 a.m.

"The village is close to the military, so they were studying at the monastery and ordained as novices for their education. Was it left behind on the road when the military column passed through? Or was it deliberately planted? I don't know. The young novices didn't know what it was. I think it exploded when they threw it against the school wall," a local resident said.

UNICEF Myanmar has reported that in 2025, landmines and explosive ordnance have killed 108 people in Myanmar, including 33 children, and injured 637 people, including 121 children.