Ethnic group says Myanmar air attack kills 80 at celebration

By GRANT PECK
Associated Press

BANGKOK (AP) — Ethnic Kachin rebels say air strikes by Myanmar’s military have killed as many as 80 people, including singers and musicians, attending an anniversary celebration of the minority group’s main political organization. The reported attack comes three days before Southeast Asian foreign ministers are to hold a special meeting in Indonesia to discuss widening violence in Myanmar. The number of casualties at Sunday night’s celebration, held by the Kachin Independence Organization, appears to be the most in a single air attack since the military seized power in February 2021 from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi.