Killing of dozens in sagaing: Outrage as Myanmar confirms deadly air strike
Myanmar's ruling junta has confirmed that it carried out an air strike on a village in which dozens of people were reported killed, drawing condemnation from the United Nations and Western powers.
UN rights chief Volker Turk said he was "horrified" by the deadly air strike, whose victims he said included schoolchildren performing dances, with the global body calling for those responsible to be brought to justice.
The death toll from the Tuesday morning strike on the remote Kanbalu township in the central Sagaing region remains unclear, with at least 50 fatalities and dozens of injuries reported by BBC Burmese, The Irrawaddy and Radio Free Asia, as well as by a witness contacted by AFP.
Myanmar's military has cracked down on dissent following a February 2021 coup that toppled Aung San Suu Kyi's civilian government, with the ensuing unrest leaving more than 3,200 people dead, a monitoring group said.
Tuesday's strike saw military aircraft strafe Pazi Gyi village, where scores of locals had gathered to mark the opening of a local defence force office connected to junta opponents.
One fighter jet and a helicopter were involved in the attack. The junta confirmed yesterday it had "launched limited air strikes" after receiving a tip-off from locals about the event.
It did not say how many were killed but insisted the military had tried to minimise harm to civilians.
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