An airstrike by Myanmar's military on a refugee camp in the northernmost Kachin State on Monday night killed at least 29 people including children, injuring more than 50, local media reported, citing a spokesman from an ethnic minority militia in the state.
Around 10 out of those killed at the camp for internally displaced people were children, said the spokesman of the Kachin Independence Army, which controls the area where the camp is located, according to Radio Free Asia Burmese's report on Tuesday.
A drone or aircraft of the Myanmar military dropped a bomb on the refugee camp, situated some 3 kilometers from the KIA headquarters, the report said, citing the spokesman.
Military spokesman Zaw Min Tun on Tuesday denied a bomb was dropped, saying the explosion was likely caused by the KIA.
Fighting between the ruling military and ethnic minority militias as well as pro-democracy forces since the 2021 coup have driven 1.6 million people from their homes, leaving them internally displaced, according to the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
The Monday attack was the deadliest on the area controlled by the KIA since the junta's bombing of a community event in October last year killed over 60 people, according to local media Myanmar Now.
In April, the military conducted an airstrike on the Sagaing region of central Myanmar, killing over 160 people.
Related coverage:
Myanmar residents of Japan vow to help 2 million displaced in homeland
Myanmar envoy to U.N. calls for more pressure on homeland's junta
Japan, eight ASEAN nations to bolster cybersecurity collaboration
