A Myanmar military airstrike killed at least 11 people, including six women and two children, in a village in Yesagyo township, south-west of Mandalay, a member of the People's Defence Force (PDF) said.

The attack happened at about 2:00pm local time (0730 GMT) on Friday, said Bo Paw, a PDF member in the area, which is held by the anti-junta resistance group. He said one of the dead children was a one-year-old who had only recently begun to walk.

A resident who declined to be named for security reasons described three houses beside a road that were destroyed where the bomb landed. 'They all were killed on the spot, including an 11-year-old student who was riding a bicycle,' the witness said.

The military could not be reached for comment. Casualty claims from areas held by resistance forces are difficult to verify independently, because communications in conflict zones are often cut and residents fear reprisals. Myanmar-based media have reported a higher toll from strikes near the same township, and those figures could not be independently confirmed.

Myanmar has been in civil war since the military seized power in a February 2021 coup, ousting the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi. More than 100,000 people have been killed since the conflict began, according to the conflict monitor ACLED.

The PDF emerged after the coup and has fought alongside ethnic armed groups against the military. After early gains against the army, its forces have come under pressure around Mandalay, Myanmar's second-largest city.