Myanmar junta continues air strikes after devastating earthquake

Myanmar’s military junta has continued to bomb parts of the war-torn country following the major earthquake there, which has killed more than 1,600 people.

The UN has described the attacks as “completely outrageous and unacceptable”.

Special Rapporteur Tom Andrews told the BBC that it was “nothing short of incredible” that the military was continuing to “drop bombs when you are trying to rescue people” after the earthquake.

He called on the military regime, which seized power in a coup nearly four years ago to stop all military operations.

“Anyone who has influence on the military needs to step up the pressure and make it very clear that this is not acceptable,” he said.

Myanmar: Inhumane military attacks in earthquake areas hindering relief efforts

Myanmar’s military must refrain from deliberate air strikes and other forms of attack on civilian targets in areas impacted by last week’s 7.7-magnitude earthquake, Amnesty International said today as it called for aid to more quickly reach people in the epicentre of the disaster.

Testimony gathered by Amnesty International in the days following the earthquake corroborates reports that the military has continued its campaign of deadly air strikes, adding to the strain of recovery efforts and the fear and anxiety of survivors.

“Myanmar’s military, along with all other actors involved in earthquake relief efforts, must ensure that human rights principles are fully respected and that the humanitarian needs of survivors are the top priority,” Amnesty International’s Myanmar Researcher Joe Freeman said.

“You cannot ask for aid with one hand and bomb with the other. Carrying out air strikes and attacking civilians in the same region where the earthquake struck is inhumane and shows a blatant disregard for human rights.”

At least 2,065 people have been killed and more than 3,900 injured as a result of the earthquake, according to military-controlled media in Myanmar. The rapid spike in figures from day to day as well as communication challenges have prompted fears of a much larger toll.

The earthquake epicentre is in Sagaing, a sprawling region in central Myanmar. Significant damage is also being reported in Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-biggest city, the capital Naypyitaw and parts of Shan State and Bago Region.

The air strikes, which have become a daily fact of life in Myanmar since the 2021 coup, have now hit areas near the focus of earthquake recovery efforts, and in other conflict zones such as Karen and Karenni States.

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