Escalating violence in Myanmar alarms UN envoy

A senior United Nations diplomat is raising the alarm over a brutal and dramatic escalation in violence targeting opponents of last month's coup in the country.

United Nations Secretary General's Special Envoy to Myanmar Christine Schraner Burgener on Wednesday called for strong action against military rulers in the Southeast Asian nation.

Her call follows growing evidence that Myanmar security forces are escalating their crackdown on protests against the ouster of an elected government and overturning of recent general election results.

Accounts on social media and local news reports compiled by a data analyst show that at least 33 protesters were killed Wednesday in several cities. That is highest daily death toll since the February 1 takeover, exceeding the 18 that the U.N. Human Rights Office said were killed on Sunday.

It could galvanize the international community, which has responded fitfully thus far.

Videos from Wednesday also showed security forces firing slingshots at demonstrators, chasing them down and even brutally beating an ambulance crew.

Demonstrators have regularly flooded the streets of cities across the country since the military seized power.

Burgener says she was horrified by a video clip of a detained protester being taken by police before he was apparently shot dead from a close range - even though the victim did not resist arrest.

She also says experts who reviewed videos from the protests saw security forces use submachine guns with live ammunition against unarmed protesters.

The envoy says hundreds of people have been detained by security forces at unknown location, with their families unable to verify whether they are alive or healthy.