An airstrike in the Amhara region has resulted in the loss of at least two lives and injuries to four individuals, the BBC reported citing residents. The drone attack took place on Friday, January 12, near a school compound in Alem Ketema, the capital of the district of Merhabetie, according to residents and the school administration.

The strike took place at around 1 p.m. near the entrance to Arbegnoch Comprehensive High School, the school’s principal, Ashagre Abebe told the BBC. The principal added that the students of the school, shocked by the drone attack that occurred on Friday, chose not to return to school on Monday. According to the principal and two residents of the town who spoke to the BBC, the drone fired near the school due to the alleged presence of Fano militants in the local park called “Karl.” The park, situated within 20 meters of the school, is reportedly utilized by Fano forces “for ration and logistics supply,” a school teacher said.

According to residents, two Fano members were reportedly killed in this drone attack, and at least four civilians on the street were injured. The second-shift students were in school at the time of the attack, and it triggered an all-out panic, the principal reported.

The strike in Alem Ketema on Friday marks the latest incident in the increasing deadly drone activity in the Amhara region, where the army has been fighting Fano, a paramilitary force. Ethiopia’s human rights commission has expressed “grave concern” over the “deadly hostilities”.