Two Burmese army helicopters crashed reportedly killing seven onboard.

The aircraft were allegedly peppered with gunfire from resistance forces while flying low over conflict-torn Kachin on May 20.

The choppers were said to have smashed into a forest near Bhamo. Kachin Independence Army (KIA) troops claimed they found at least seven dead soldiers in the charred wreckage that crashed near the bank of the Irawaddy River.

KIA spokesman Colonel Naw Bu said: 'The shootdown happened around 1 pm near the Military Operation Command 21 base. Of the three helicopters, two were hit - one crashed, and the other was forced to make an emergency landing near Shwegu. The third helicopter managed to flee in the direction of Myitkyina.'

Footage shows the carnage of the helicopters engulfed in flames with white smoke billowing to the sky.

The KIA added that Captain Myo Htet Aung, a junta air officer, was among the fatalities.

Myanmar has fallen into civil war following the removal of democratically elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, with a military coup in 2021.

Soldiers responded with barbaric force on protesting civilians leading to widespread condemnation and financial sanctions. Rebel groups and civilian militias around the country have since been locked in a series of ongoing clashes with the ruling military.

Aung San Suu Kyi has since been jailed for 33 years on politically motivated charges and is likely to die behind bars unless the army is toppled - a tragic end the politician hailed by Barack Obama as an 'inspirational icon of democracy'.