At least 171 people were killed in an airstrike in central Myanmar on Tuesday, April 11, according to eyewitnesses involved in cremating the deceased. 

Though no official figures have yet to be released, the country's ruling military junta confirmed it had carried out the attack on the village of Pazigyi in the Sagaing region.

According to eyewitnesses, some 24 women and 38 children were among those killed.

The strike, which lasted 15 minutes, targeted a new anti-junta office that had celebrated its opening. The victims had just sat down to lunch when the attack occurred.

Coming on the eve of the Buddhist new year's water festival, the attack drew international opprobrium. The UK, for instance, has called for the UN National Security Council to look into the incident. 

Resistance to the junta has been strong in the Sagaing region, where fighting has raged for months.

Myanmar's military junta took control of the country, formerly known as Burma, in a February 2021 coup.

The country's then leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, was arrested and sentenced to 30 years in prison.

js/msh (AFP, dpa)