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 early Tuesday morning strike on the remote Kanbalu township in the central Sagaing region remains unclear.
At least 50 fatalities and dozens of injuries were reported by BBC Burmese, The Irrawaddy and Radio Free Asia, as well as a witness contacted by AFP.
The junta confirmed late Tuesday night that the strike had taken place, but did not say how many were killed.
“There was (a People’s Defence Force) office opening ceremony… (Tuesday) morning about 8 am at Pazi Gyi village,” said spokesman Zaw Min Tun, referring to the armed anti-junta groups that have sprung up across the country since its elected government was toppled in a 2021 military coup.
“We attacked that place.”
