At least 15 people, including children, were killed in an airstrike on a village in northwestern Myanmar, the country’s media reported Sunday.

Increasingly fierce hostilities are raging in Myanmar, as the military junta clashes with rivals in the north and east of the territory.

The raids hit a village in the municipal unit of Habat, in Tamos district, yesterday at around 10:15 (local time; 06:15 Greek time).

Press reports speak of fifteen dead, including children, and twenty injured. But two eyewitnesses, a man and a woman, who asked not to be named for their safety, told AFP the toll was heavier.

“Nineteen people were killed, among them eight children,” the man said, adding that he saw a military junta fighter-bomber flying over the village during the raid.

According to him, the first bombs were aimed at the two churches of the village. A second throw was made as people rushed to leave the places of worship to escape.

“Most were killed outside the churches, as they ran to save themselves,” he explained.

In total, the aircraft dropped six bombs, the man said.

“They were targeting the two churches, but they fell outside and hit houses,” he added.

Another bomb fell near the school, he pointed out.

Instead, state media insisted that reports of an airstrike on the community were “false”, with MRTV asserting that no military aircraft had attempted to attack the area yesterday.

The village is under the control of a group of the People’s Defense Forces (PDF), one of several organizations formed by civilians who took up arms to fight the military junta.

The army characterizes these organizations as “terrorist”.

The couple who spoke to AFP said 30 people were injured. According to the woman, the number of victims risks increasing, as some of the injured are in a very serious condition.

The injured are being treated at a clinic in the area, she added, without elaborating.