UN alarmed by reports that Myanmar air strike killed 50

The United Nations expressed alarm on Tuesday at reports that an airstrike by the Myanmar military near the country's border with Bangladesh had killed 50 people and wounded dozens more, many of them critically.



A UN spokesperson said continuing violence in Myanmar's Rakhine state underscored that conditions did not currently exist for the safe return of refugees and other displaced people to Myanmar.



"This latest airstrike brings that reality into sharp focus," UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told a UN briefing in New York.



"The secretary-general strongly condemns the attacks and calls on all parties to end the violence immediately, to protect civilians and comply with their obligations under international law," he said, citing UN chief Antonio Guterres.