YANGON, Aug. 23 (Xinhua) -- Twenty-eight members of a foreign non-governmental organization had been rescued by a military helicopter from Kutkai to Yangon, according to the Office of the Commander-in-Chief of the Defense Services on Friday.

The team arrived at a local school in Kutkai on Aug. 3 for an educational purpose.

They were stuck in a guest house since Aug. 15 when three Northern Alliance armed groups launched artillery shells at five places in Mandalay region and Shan state, which killed 15 people including civilians, policemen and military personnel and injured 13 others.