New Delhi [India], April 13 : On the ongoing military violence in Myanmar, External Affairs Ministry here on Thursday said that "India reiterates its call for a return of peace, stability and democracy in Myanmar."
According to media reports, at least 133 people were killed, including women and children in an airstrike by the military Junta on a village in the Central Myanmar.
Responding to this, MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said that as a neighbour and friend of the people of Myanmar, "We have repeatedly called for stopping of violence by all sides," and a peaceful resolution of all issues.
"We have seen disturbing reports of violence on April 11 in Kanbalu in the Sagaing region of Myanmar. India reiterates, its call for a return of peace, stability and democracy in Myanmar," he added.
The military attack which took place on Tuesday in Kanbalu township in the central Sagaing region of the country is seen as one of the deadliest attacks since the junta seized power in a coup two years ago.
According to CNN, 50 people were hurt during the strike, the Kyunhla activist group said, which was there. At least 20 children were killed.
Although there have been no additional strikes, military jets have continued to fly over the town, preventing first responders and medical professionals from reaching the attack site, according to Aung Myo Min, who told CNN.
Sagaing region near the country's second-largest city, Mandalay has put up some of the fiercest resistance to the military's rule, with intense fighting raging there for months.
Reacting to the incident, UN rights chief Volker Turk said on Tuesday he was "horrified" by the deadly air strikes, whose victims he said included schoolchildren performing dances, with the global body calling for those responsible to be brought to justice.
Photos from the village being shared on social media showed more than a dozen burned and mutilated bodies, while videos showed a destroyed building, burned motorcycles and debris scattered over a wide area. Rescuers at the scene confirmed the authenticity of the images with The New York Times.
The apparent target of the attack was a celebration to mark the local resistance movement's opening of an administration office. Only the charred frame of the building remained standing after the air raid, a video and photos showed.
Myanmar's military, which has battled armed ethnic groups for territorial control since soon after independence in 1948, has a long history of brutal attacks on civilians.
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