BANGKOK — A military airstrike this week on a village in Myanmar sheltering displaced people from the northern township of Bhamo, where a final round of the country's three-phase election is to be held this weekend, killed 21 people, an ethnic rebel group and local media said Friday.
The strike on Hteelin village, west of Bhamo in the state of Kachin, took place on Thursday afternoon, also left 28 people wounded, according to Col. Naw Bu, the spokesperson of the ethnic Kachin Independence Army or 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. He said 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, he said.
The reports could not be independently confirmed and internet access and cellphone 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 Feb. 1, 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 nongovernmental organizations.
The military government has stepped up airstrikes against the armed pro-democracy People's Defense Force and ethnic minority guerrilla groups that have been fighting for greater autonomy for decades.
