International anger as air strikes kill dozens in Myanmar

 
INA-sources
 
 
Dozens of people in central Myanmar were killed in air strikes Tuesday, according to local media reports and a witness contacted by AFP, as the United Nations and Western powers condemned the attacks and demanded accountability.
 
The Southeast Asian country has been in chaos and its economy in tatters since the military seized power in February 2021 coup.
 
UN rights chief Volker Turk said he was "horrified" by the deadly air strikes 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 Sagaing region is unclear.
 
At least 50 fatalities and dozens of injuries were reported by BBC Burmese, The Irrawaddy and Radio Free Asia.
 
The United Nations, while not confirming a toll, said several civilians were killed, with Turk accusing Myanmar's military of once again disregarding "clear legal obligations... to protect civilians in the conduct of hostilities".
 
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres "strongly condemns the attack by the Myanmar Armed Forces today," according to a statement by his spokesman Stephane Dujarric.
 
Guterres "reiterates his call for the military to end the campaign of violence against the Myanmar population throughout the country," the spokesman added.
 
Washington said it was "deeply concerned" about the air strikes.
 
"These violent attacks further underscore the regime's disregard for human life and its responsibility for the dire political and humanitarian crisis in Burma following the February 2021 coup," State Department spokesman Vedant Patel said in a statement, using the country's former name.
 
Source: AFP