U.N. told Ethiopia in January that school hit in air strike housed displaced people -humanitarian sources

FILE PHOTO: 75th annual United Nations General Assembly to be held mostly virtually due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in New York

NAIROBI (Reuters) - The school hit by an air strike in northern Ethiopia on Tuesday was on a list of sites housing displaced persons that the United Nations sent to Ethiopia's government in January, according to a copy of the letter seen by Reuters that was verified by an aid worker and two U.N. sources.

More than 50 people were killed in the air strike in the town of Adi Daero, two aid workers and Tigrayan forces said on Wednesday.

Ethiopian government spokesperson Legesse Tulu, military spokesperson Colonel Getnet Adane and the prime minister's spokesperson Billene Seyoum did not respond to requests for comment about the letter or the air strike. The government has previously denied targeting civilians.

Demeke Mekonnen, Ethiopia's deputy prime minister and foreign minister, did not respond to requests for comment. Ministry spokersperson Meles Alem said the issue was not a diplomatic matter and he could therefore not comment.

(Writing by Aaron Ross; Editing by Mark Heinrich)