Bangkok: At least 49 people were killed and 58 others injured after a Myanmar military airstrike struck near a market in Kyauktaw township in western Rakhine state on Monday, according to the Arakan Army and a local rescue official.
The Arakan Army, which controls the area, said a fighter jet dropped two bombs near a market around midday, hitting an area where vendors, shoppers and pedestrians were present. Of those injured, 22 were in critical condition, according to the group.
Wai Hun Aung, a senior rescue official in Rakhine, confirmed the casualty figures to The Associated Press, citing rescue workers at the site. He said the market was the region's main wholesale centre and attracted traders and shoppers from across the state.
The details of the attack could not be independently verified. Myanmar's military did not immediately comment.
The strike took place in Kyauktaw, about 340 km west of Mandalay. The township is controlled by the Arakan Army, the armed wing of a Rakhine nationalist movement seeking greater autonomy for the state's ethnic population.
Photos and videos circulated online showed fires, damaged vehicles and destruction around a nearby bridge following the strike. The Arakan Army condemned the attack and said it would take retaliatory measures against those it held responsible.
Myanmar's continuing conflict
The attack comes amid Myanmar's prolonged civil conflict, which followed the military's seizure of power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi on February 1, 2021.
The coup triggered widespread protests. A violent military crackdown subsequently drove many opponents of the junta towards armed resistance, while long-standing ethnic armed organisations expanded their campaigns against the military.
Rakhine has become one of the major fronts in the conflict. The Arakan Army launched a major offensive in the state in November 2023 and has since taken control of much of the territory there, including Kyauktaw.
The fighting and restrictions on trade routes have also worsened food shortages in Rakhine, where large numbers of people have been displaced by the conflict.
The military has previously maintained that its airstrikes target legitimate military objectives and accused resistance groups of terrorism. The latest strike has not been independently assessed, and there was no immediate military statement specifically addressing the Kyauktaw attack.
The casualty figure had initially been reported at 33 dead and 36 injured on Monday before the Arakan Army and rescue officials reported the higher toll.
The attack is among the deadliest reported airstrikes in Rakhine in recent months. In December 2025, an airstrike on a hospital in Mrauk-U township killed at least 34 people and injured 80, according to AP.
(with inputs from agencies)
