80 people die as a result of airstrikes in Kachin, Myanmar

• The death toll from a military airstrike in northern Kachin state reportedly increases to 80.
• The bombardment killed hundreds of people.
• They gathered to commemorate the birth of an independence movement.

Human rights organizations have accused the ruling generals of breaking the laws of war and called on the international community to impose an embargo on the sale of weaponry and aviation fuel to the country as the dead toll from a military airstrike in northern Kachin state has reportedly increased to 80.

The bombardment on Sunday night that killed hundreds of people who had gathered to commemorate the birth of the Kachin Independence Organization may have been the worst airstrike since the military coup that overthrew the government of Myanmar in February 2021.

Up to 80 people may have died, and about 100 people may have been hurt, a Kachin Artists Association official told The Associated Press news agency over the phone on Monday. Initial estimates put the death toll at 60, but a spokeswoman for the Kachin Independence Army stated that number has since increased to roughly 80.

He claimed that four bombs were thrown on the celebration on Sunday night by military aircraft. Between 300 and 500 individuals, including musicians and other entertainers, were present.

He stated that the victims included included backstage cooks, musicians, proprietors of jade mining companies, and Kachin military leaders and troops.

The representative, who begged not to be named out of concern for repercussions from the authorities, claimed that a keyboard player and singer from the Kachin ethnic group were among the deceased.

It was unable to independently verify the specifics of the airstrike in the country’s far north, but pro-Kachin media outlets broadcast films purportedly documenting the devastation left in its wake, including collapsed and shattered wooden structures.

The Kachin Independence Army’s 9th Brigade was attacked, according to a statement from the Myanmar military government’s communications office, which described the attack as a “necessary action” in response to “terrorist” acts committed by the Kachin group.

The military denied bombing a concert and that performers and audience members were among the deceased in its statement, calling allegations of a high death toll “rumors.”

In a statement earlier on Monday, the UN office in Myanmar expressed its “deep worry and sadness” over the news of the airstrikes.

The strike, according to a joint statement from Western embassies in Myanmar, including the US, highlights the military regime’s “disregard for its duty to protect civilians and observe the principles and rules of international humanitarian law.”

A special conference of the foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to examine the escalating violence in Myanmar is scheduled just days after news of the horrific attack broke.

Conflicts over ethnic minorities’ rights to independence have plagued Myanmar for years, but since the military overthrew the government in a coup in 2021 and an armed pro-democracy movement emerged against it, anti-government opposition has sharply expanded nationwide.

One of the more powerful ethnic rebel organizations is the Kachin Independence Army, which is also able to produce some of its own weapons.

The Kachin Independence Organization’s 62nd anniversary of its formation was commemorated on Sunday. It was held at a site that was also used for military training close to the village of Aung Bar Lay in Hpakant township, a remote mountainous region 950 kilometers (590 miles) north of Yangon, the largest city in Myanmar.

Some prominent singers/artists said to have been killed/injured in #Myanmar #military air attacks aimed at #Hpakant, Kachin. #Kachin Independence Army has upped its clashes with military since Feb 2021 #coup. #KIA had rejected army’s offer of peace talks #WhatsHappeningInMyanmar pic.twitter.com/5ZVKeciA1P

— May Wong (@MayWongCNA) October 24, 2022

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