A military air strike on Hteelin village in Myanmar killed 21 people, an ethnic rebel group and local media said.
The strike took place on Thursday afternoon and also left 28 people wounded, according to Col. Naw Bu, the spokesperson of the ethnic Kachin Independence Army (KIA).
Naw Bu said a jet fighter bombed a compound where mourners had gathered for prayers for the deceased, a camp for displaced persons, as well as a school and a village market, reports AP.
He stated that about 500 people, including displaced residents, were staying in the village at the time. Among the injured is an infant, and several people are in critical condition.
The reports could not be independently confirmed as internet access and mobile phone service in the area were mostly cut off. Kachin-based media outlets posted photos and videos showing what they said was the aftermath of the strike, with images of dead bodies and damaged buildings.
Myanmar has been in turmoil since the army seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi on 1 February 2021, triggering widespread popular opposition. After peaceful demonstrations were put down with lethal force, many opponents of the military rule took up arms, and large parts of the country are now embroiled in conflict.
More than 7,700 people are estimated to have been killed by security forces since then, according to figures compiled by non-governmental organisations.
The military government has stepped up air strikes against the armed pro-democracy People’s Defence Force and ethnic minority guerrilla groups that have been fighting for greater autonomy for decades. The KIA is one of the more prominent ethnic rebel groups and manufactures some of its own weapons. It is also loosely allied with the armed militias of the pro-democracy forces fighting the army rule.
Bhamo, about 280 kilometres (175 miles) northeast of Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-largest city, is one of three townships in Kachin where a third, final round of the military-planned elections is to be held on Sunday. The vote is to take place in a total of 61 of the country’s 330 townships.
However, Naw Bu said holding the election in Bhamo would not be possible because the KIA and allied forces control its downtown. Critics say the three-stage elections, taking place nearly five years after the military takeover, are neither free nor fair because of the exclusion of major political parties and the repression of dissent.
