Myanmar confirms deadly air strike that is feared to have killed 100

Myanmar's ruling junta has confirmed that it carried out an air strike on a village in which some 100 people were reported to have been killed, drawing condemnation from the United Nations and Western powers.

UN rights chief Volker Turk said he was "horrified" by the deadly air strike, whose victims he said included schoolchildren performing dances, with the global body calling for those responsible to be brought to justice.

The death toll from the early on Tuesday morning strike on the remote Kanbalu township in the central Sagaing region remains unclear.

Initial reports put the death toll at around 50, but later tallies reported by independent media raised it to about 100. It was impossible to independently confirm details of the attack because reporting is restricted by the military government.

At least 50 fatalities and dozens of injuries were reported by BBC Burmese, The Irrawaddy and Radio Free Asia, as well as a witness contacted by the AFP news agency.

The junta confirmed late on Tuesday night that the strike had taken place, but did not say how many were killed.

"There was [a People's Defence Force] office opening ceremony... [Tuesday] morning about 8 am at Pazi Gyi village," said spokesperson Zaw Min Tun, referring to the armed anti-junta groups that have sprung up across the country since its elected government was toppled in a 2021 military coup. "We attacked that place."

Some of the dead, he added, were anti-coup fighters in uniform, though "there could be some people with civilian clothes". The spokesperson went on to blame mines planted by the People's Defence Force for some of the deaths.

READ MORE: Dozens killed in Myanmar after military junta launches air strikes

'Jet dropped bombs directly on the crowd'

A rescuer connected to a People's Defence Force group told AFP that women and children were among the dead.

After recovering bodies and transporting victims for medical treatment, he estimated the death toll could be as high as 100.

"I was standing a short distance from the crowd when a friend of mine contacted me on the phone about the approach of a fighter jet," the witness said. 

"The jet dropped bombs directly on the crowd, and I jumped into a nearby ditch and hid. A few moments later, when I stood up and looked around, I saw people cut to pieces and dead in the smoke. The office building was destroyed by fire. About 30 people were injured. While the wounded were being transported, a helicopter arrived and shot more people. We are now cremating the bodies quickly."

About 150 people had gathered for the opening ceremony, and women and 20 to 30 children were among the dead, he said, adding that those killed also included leaders of locally formed anti-government armed groups and other opposition organisations.

The United Nations, while not confirming a toll, said several civilians were killed, with Turk accusing Myanmar's military of once again disregarding "clear legal obligations... to protect civilians in the conduct of hostilities".

The military's crackdown on dissent in the wake of the coup has left more than 3,100 people dead, according to a local monitoring group.

US says 'deeply concerned'

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres "strongly condemns the attack by the Myanmar Armed Forces today", according to a statement by his spokesman Stephane Dujarric.

Guterres "reiterates his call for the military to end the campaign of violence against the Myanmar population throughout the country", the spokesman added.

Washington said it was "deeply concerned" about the air strikes.

"These violent attacks further underscore the regime's disregard for human life and its responsibility for the dire political and humanitarian crisis in Burma following the February 2021 coup," State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel said in a statement, using the country's former name.

"The United States calls on the Burma regime to cease the horrific violence, allow unhindered humanitarian access, and to respect the genuine and inclusive democratic aspirations of the people of Burma."