[Source: CNN]

At least six children were killed and 17 wounded when army helicopters shot at a school in Myanmar.

The incident happened yesterday as the military says it opened fire because rebels were using the building to attack its forces.

Myanmar has been gripped by violence since the army overthrew an elected government early last year. Opposition movements, some of them armed, have since emerged across the country, which the military has countered with lethal force.

Some children were killed on the spot by the shooting, while others died after troops entered the village.

Two residents, who declined to be identified due to security worries, said by telephone the bodies were later transported by the military to a township 11 km (7 miles) away and buried.

Images posted on social media showed what appeared to be damage including bullet holes and blood stains at a school building.