Amnesty International accused the Burmese army on Friday of using a large unguided aerial bomb to attack and destroy a refugee camp in northern Burma on the border with China.
A human rights NGO expert analyzed photos and videos following the attack in Kachin State that show “evidence of a single, massive explosion that blew up dozens of neighboring buildings – including a church, a kindergarten and several houses – and started fires .” .
“The size of the crater and the damage observed are consistent with the use of a large unguided aerial bomb that is in the Burmese army’s inventory,” Amnesty said in a statement.
According to the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), the attack on the camp near the town of Laiza on Monday evening left 29 dead and 59 injured.
“The explosion caused catastrophic injuries (…) to the victims, including fatal head injuries, lacerations that exposed organs, and the removal and pulverization of limbs,” the same source added.
The KIA, which represents the interests of the predominantly Christian Kachin ethnic group, has been in conflict with the Burmese army for decades.
The junta, for its part, said bombs from rebels in the area caused the blast, without providing evidence.
Amnesty International disputes these claims, saying they “contradict the accounts of corroborating witnesses who have suggested that the explosion served as a starting point for a coordinated attack.”
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was “concerned” about the attack and said those responsible must be “held to account.”