Victims are brought to the Ayder referral hospital in Mekele as the army denies targeting civilians.

Rescue work at the crash site was delayed as soldiers initially blocked first aid personnel from entering the area.

Patients were being treated in a waiting area at a in Ethiopia’s Tigray Region on Thursday after the military said it was responsible for a deadly airstrike on a busy marketplace in the region.

Health workers said the attack killed at least 64 people, including children, but the military insisted only combatants were targeted.

Health workers said the attack killed at least 64 people, including children, but the military insisted only combatants were targeted.

The attack came after the counting o f votes in the national elections in Ethiopia on Monday was underway. However, there was no vote in Tigray, as fighting in the region has increased in recent days.

According to the European Union, denying first aid access to the region violates international law. The UN calls for an urgent investigation into the attack.