Myanmar Airstrike Near Market Kills 49, Injures 58 in Western Rakhine
By : International Media Desk
At least 49 people were killed and 58 others injured after an airstrike by Myanmar’s military hit an area near a market in western Rakhine state on Monday, according to the Arakan Army and a rescue official. Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp Channel
The attack took place in Kyauktaw township, around 340 kilometres west of Mandalay. The area is controlled by the Arakan Army, a powerful ethnic armed group operating in Rakhine. The group said a fighter jet dropped two bombs near a local market around noon, killing vendors, shoppers and pedestrians. It said 22 of the injured people were in critical condition.
The casualties were also confirmed by Wai Hun Aung, a senior rescue official in Rakhine, who cited rescue workers at the scene. He said the market was a major wholesale centre that attracted traders and shoppers from different parts of the state.
“This is one of the most severe airstrikes in Rakhine,” he said.
Photos and videos shared on social media showed buildings on fire, damaged vehicles and parts of a nearby bridge destroyed. The details could not be independently verified.
The Myanmar military did not immediately comment on the reported attack. The military has previously said that its airstrikes target legitimate military positions and has accused resistance groups of terrorism.
Myanmar has faced widespread conflict since the military seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi on February 1, 2021. The takeover led to mass protests, a military crackdown and the emergence of armed resistance across several parts of the country.
The Arakan Army launched a major offensive in Rakhine in November 2023 and has since captured a regional military headquarters and 14 of the state’s 17 townships. Fighting and restrictions on trade routes have also contributed to worsening food shortages in the region.
The latest attack follows a military airstrike on a hospital in Rakhine’s Mrauk-U township in December, in which at least 34 people were reportedly killed and 80 injured.
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