A military junta air strike killed leaders of a Mennonite church Feb. 10 in a village of civilians in Myanmar.

One bomb killed six people instantly and seriously injured many others in Tlangkhua, a village in Chin State. The bombing was part of a larger pattern of attacks on civilians, including attacks on a neighboring township the previous day.

On Feb. 11, Mennonite World Conference issued an urgent call to prayer for Myanmar and reported most of the victims are part of MWC member church Bible Missionary Church, Mennonite.

Among the dead were the deacon, the treasurer and two youth leaders of the Mennonite church. Eleven church members needed emergency medical treatment. A church building was under construction close to where the bomb was dropped.

Fighting has displaced much of the nation’s population since a civil war started in 2021, with many Bible Missionary Church families fleeing into jungles or mountainous areas for safety after the military seized power and civil unrest increased.

“Currently, there is an urgent need for medical care for the seriously injured and immediate assistance for the families of the deceased Mennonites,” said an MWC leader in Myanmar. “Tlangkhua village is my hometown and is a predominantly Mennonite village. Most of the people who have died are my cousins and relatives.

“All international Mennonites, please pray. We would like to express our deepest gratitude for your involvement with us at this time.”

MWC called on members to pray for those grieving and suffering in Myanmar and for the military junta “to turn away from this strategy of harming its citizens.”

A different aerial bombardment killed a dozen villagers in 2023 in Chin State, including several members of a Bible Missionary Church congregation and the pastor’s daughters.