At least 50 people were killed and 100 injured in an airstrike carried out by the Burmese military on Sunday (October 23). The operation targeted a concert held by a resistance group in Myanmar, at the celebration of the Kachin Independence Organisation (KIO) in the Hpakant Township of Kachin State. Among the victims were militants, singers, and entrepreneurs.

Footage taken after the strike shows the wreckage of the venue, with wooden planks and debris littering the concert grounds.

Myanmar has suffered ongoing unrest and spiralled towards a civil war following the removal of leader Aung San Suu Kyi in a military coup in February 2021 when the army seized power.

The KIO, which has been embroiled in a decades-long battle for independence against the Burmese army, was celebrating its 62nd founding anniversary when three planes reportedly carried out the strike, according to local media.

The attack is said to be the deadliest airstrike since the military seized power.

The military junta has not yet commented on the incident.

The rebel group claims that civilians are among the victims.

Naw Bu, a spokesman for the KIO's armed wing, said: "This is quite a wicked act that can be also considered a war crime".

The strike was condemned by the United Nations and Western embassies.

Dozens were killed in an airstrike that targeted a concert held by a resistance group in Myanmar on Sunday.

At least 50 people - including militants, singers, and entrepreneurs - died in the aerial strike allegedly launched by the Burmese military at the celebration of the Kachin Independence Organisation (KIO) in the Hpakant Township of Myanmar's Kachin State on October 23.

The KIO, which has been embroiled in a decades-long battle for independence against the Burmese army, was celebrating its 62nd founding anniversary when three planes reportedly carried out the devastating strike, local media reported.

The attack is said to be the deadliest airstrike since the military seized power in a brutal coup February last year.

Footage taken after the strike shows the wreckage of the venue, with wooden planks and debris littering the concert grounds.

The military junta has not yet commented on the incident.

Naw Bu, spokesman for the KIO's armed wing, said: 'This is quite a wicked act that can be also considered a war crime.'

The United Nations in Myanmar said in a statement: 'What would appear to be excessive and disproportionate use of force by security forces against unarmed civilians is unacceptable.'

Myanmar has suffered ongoing unrest and spiralled towards a civil war following the removal of well-liked leader Aung San Suu Kyi in a military coup in February 2021 when the army seized power.

Residents in the capital Yangon say they are now afraid to go out alone, especially at night.