“No words”: horror after airstrike on civilians in Myanmar

“We can’t say exactly how many deaths there are, but it’s definitely 90 or 100,” said an eyewitness who reached out to the Pazigyi community after the attack on Wednesday. “At least 50 other people are seriously injured and are being treated in hospital.” The number of victims could increase due to the severity of the injuries, the man said.

The military suddenly fired rockets at the city in the central Saigang region on Tuesday morning as an opening ceremony was held there for a new office of the anti-junta People’s Defense Forces. The participants were just eating, including at least 20 children, the eyewitness said. The attack lasted about 15 minutes.

The bodies of 53 victims were found relatively intact, but many of the dead were torn into many pieces. It is therefore difficult to determine the exact number of victims. “When we wanted to recover the bodies in the evening, they launched another air strike. I cannot express how cruelly the junta treats civilians,” the man from the German news agency said on the phone.

Recently, there has been fighting in the region between the army and armed groups opposing the junta. In February 2021, generals seized power in former Burma. Then Prime Minister Aung San Suu Kyi was arrested and sentenced to more than 30 years in prison for alleged crimes. The army acts brutally against all opponents.

“Illegal airstrikes, the killing and wounding of civilians and the destruction of homes are hallmarks of the Myanmar military’s despicable efforts to crush resistance and instill fear in the population,” said Amnesty International’s Montse Ferrer. International. She spoke of “disgusting tactics” and called on the international community to stop jet fuel supplies to the country and to do more to stop the junta’s attacks. (sda/dpa)