YANGON — At least 49 people were killed and 58 others wounded after a military airstrike struck near a bustling market in western Myanmar’s Rakhine State, according to local rescue officials and the powerful ethnic armed group controlling the area.
The deadly aerial attack occurred around midday in Kyauktaw township, situated approximately 340 kilometers (210 miles) west of Mandalay. The territory is firmly under the control of the Arakan Army, one of Myanmar’s most formidable ethnic insurgent groups that has steadily made territorial gains against the ruling military junta.

According to a statement released by the Arakan Army, a military jet dropped two powerful bombs perilously close to the local marketplace while it was crowded with civilians. The casualties include daily vendors, shoppers, and pedestrians caught in the crosshairs of the sudden bombardment. Local rescue workers confirmed that at least 22 of the injured individuals are currently in critical condition, raising fears that the death toll could climb further.

Images and reports emerging from the site depict scenes of devastation, with thick plumes of smoke billowing over the wrecked market stalls and emergency responders rushing bloodied victims to makeshift medical facilities.

The incident highlights the intensifying civil conflict in Myanmar, which has escalated dramatically since the military junta seized power from the democratically elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021. As opposition forces and ethnic armed organizations continue to challenge military rule across various fronts, the nation's air force has increasingly relied on aerial bombardments and airstrikes, frequently resulting in heavy civilian casualties in populated areas.


Independent verification of the immediate battlefield dynamics remains challenging due to information blackouts and restrictions imposed in conflict zones, but local witnesses and rebel authorities maintain that the target was purely civilian. International monitors and human rights organizations continue to express grave concern over the rising toll of civilian lives lost in the protracted civil war.