As many as 100 people, including children, were reportedly killed in central Myanmar on Tuesday in an air strike by the military on an event attended by opponents to its rule, according to reports early Wednesday.

Myanmar's ruling junta confirmed it carried out an air strike on a village, news agency AFP reported. Citing residents in the Sagaing region, BBC Burmese, Radio Free Asia (RFA), and the Irrawaddy news portal reported between 50 and 100 people, including civilians, had died in the attack.

A witness told The Associated Press that a fighter jet dropped bombs directly onto a crowd of people who were gathering at 8 am for the opening of a local office of the country’s opposition movement outside Pazigyi village in Sagaing region’s Kanbalu township. The area is about 110 kilometers (70 miles) north of Mandalay, the country’s second-largest city.

About half an hour later, a helicopter appeared and fired at the site, said the witness, who asked not to be identified because he feared punishment by the authorities. Initial reports put the death toll at around 50, but later tallies reported by independent media raised it to about 100, the AP report said.

UN condemns attack

The attack drew condemnation from the United Nations and Western powers. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres issued a strong condemnation and called for those responsible to be held accountable, his spokesperson said, adding that Guterres "reiterates his call for the military to end the campaign of violence against the Myanmar population throughout the country."

According to Reuters, the military had earlier denied international allegations it has committed atrocities against civilians and says it is fighting "terrorists" determined to destabilise the country.

The turmoil in Myanmar

The military is increasingly using airstrikes to counter a widespread armed struggle against its rule, which began in February 2021 when it seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi. More than 3,000 civilians are estimated to have been killed since then by security forces, Associated Press reported.

Myanmar has been in turmoil since a 2021 coup, with attacks by ethnic minority armies and resistance fighters challenging the rule of the military, which has responded with air strikes and heavy weapons, including in civilian areas.

The US State Department said it was "deeply concerned" by the reported air strike, adding Washington will continue working with the international community to "hold the regime accountable for violations and abuses committed" in Myanmar.

A member of the local People's Defence Force (PDF), an anti-junta militia, told Reuters fighter jets had fired on a ceremony held to open their local office.

"So far, the exact number of casualties is still unknown. We cannot retrieve all the bodies yet," said the PDF member, who declined to be identified.

At least 1.2 million people have been displaced by post-coup fighting, according to the United Nations.

Tuesday's incident could be one of the deadliest among a string of air strikes since a jet attacked a concert in October, killing at least 50 civilians, local singers and members of an armed ethnic minority group in Kachin State.

Myanmar's pro-democracy government-in-exile, the National Unity Government, condemned the attack, calling it "yet another example of (the military's) indiscriminate use of extreme force against civilians".

Last month, at least eight civilians including children were killed in an air strike on a village in northwest Myanmar, according to a human rights group, ethnic minority rebels and media.

Western countries have imposed sanctions on the junta and its vast business network to try to choke off its revenue and access to arms from key suppliers like Russia.

The military last month announced a six-month extension of a state of emergency and postponed elections it had promised to hold by August because it did not control enough of the country for a vote.

(With inputs from agencies)

First Published:Apr 12, 2023 7:33 AM IST