The school, which is operated by the shadow National Unity Government (NUG), is in the central Myanmar town of Depayin in the Sagaing region, about 160km north of Mandalay and not far from the epicentre of the March 28 earthquake.

“According to the information we have so far, 17 students have been killed and 20 injured,” NUG spokesman Nay Phone Latt said.

“Some may have been missing due to bomb damage, so the death toll could be higher,” Nay Phone Latt said.

Myanmar has been gripped by conflict since the military used lethal force to suppress protests against its return to power in a 2021 coup. The military has been struggling to govern and has lost ground in its battle to stem a rebellion by ethnic minority armies and a resistance movement affiliated with the NUG.

A spokesman for the junta declined to comment when contacted by Reuters.

Last week, the junta said it was extending a post-quake ceasefire to May 31. It had initially announced the ceasefire in early April, days after the earthquake, to support relief efforts, following similar moves by anti-junta armed groups.

Military airstrikes and artillery attacks have continued in some parts of Myanmar despite the ceasefire announcement.

The NUG includes remnants of the elected administration deposed by the military in the coup and other anti-junta groups.