At least 31 people were killed and 68 others injured after a military air strike hit a hospital in Mrauk U township, western Myanmar, according to local aid workers, a rebel group representative, and eyewitnesses.
The 300-bed hospital, located in Rakhine state and operated in an area under the control of the Arakan Army, was struck late Wednesday by bombs dropped from a military aircraft, said Khine Thu Kha, spokesperson for the Arakan Army. “The high number of casualties occurred because the hospital took a direct hit,” he said.
Aid worker Wai Hun Aung told AFP that the facility was full at the time due to the closure of other medical services amid ongoing fighting. He described the aftermath as catastrophic, saying, “As for now, we can confirm there are 31 deaths and we think there will be more deaths. Also, there are 68 wounded and will be more and more.” Photographs posted by Wai Hun Aung on social media, which could not be independently verified, showed extensive damage and bodies laid out on the ground.
A 23-year-old resident of Mrauk U told AFP he arrived to find the hospital on fire. “I saw many bodies lying around and many injured people,” he said, requesting anonymity over security concerns.
Fighting intensified in Rakhine after the collapse of a ceasefire in 2023. The Arakan Army, an ethnic armed group, has taken control of 14 of Rakhine’s 17 townships, including Mrauk U, since last year, according to the ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute.
Myanmar has been in a state of civil war since the February 2021 military coup that ousted the elected government led by Aung San Suu Kyi. In response to the junta’s crackdown on dissent, opposition forces and ethnic militias formed resistance groups, including the Arakan Army.
The military, which controls the country’s only air force, has increasingly used air strikes in rebel-held territories. From January to late November this year, the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project recorded 2,165 air attacks by government forces, surpassing the total of 1,716 reported throughout 2024.
Al Jazeera’s Tony Cheng, reporting from central Myanmar, said air attacks have become a frequent event. “We heard overnight a loud explosion a couple of villages over. What we understand is that a military jet dropped a 1,000-pound bomb,” Cheng said. He added that nearly every home now has a bomb shelter, used when aircraft are spotted or heard.
The military has not commented publicly on the strike in Mrauk U. As of now, independent verification of claims made by the Arakan Army and aid workers remains limited due to restricted access to the area.
