A thunderous explosion tore through a rebel-held village in eastern Myanmar this morning, killing at least 40 people and wounding scores more. Sources confirm the blast was a deliberate strike by the ruling junta, targeting a stronghold of the Karen National Union. Witnesses described a fireball that consumed homes and a crowded market, leaving bodies scattered among rubble.
No independent verification has been possible as the junta has severed communications to the region. Investigators on the ground have uncovered evidence of airstrikes using heavy ordnance, likely dropped from jets that departed from central airbases yesterday. The attack appears coordinated: artillery shelling preceded the bombing, forcing villagers into the open.
This is not a random act of war but a calculated assault on a civilian population. Human rights groups are calling it a war crime. The junta's spokesman, when reached, denied involvement, claiming rebels detonated their own cache.
But munitions fragments recovered tell a different story: they match ordnance supplied by Russia to the junta's air force. The dead include women and children. The wounded are being treated in makeshift clinics, medics reporting horrific shrapnel injuries.
International condemnation is mounting, but the junta, insulated by its arms dealers and diplomatic allies, shows no sign of relenting. This report is live and evolving. Sources inside Myanmar say more strikes are imminent.
