New Delhi: A Myanmar military airstrike near a busy market in rebel-held Rakhine state killed at least 49 people and wounded 58 on Monday, according to the Arakan Army and a rescue official. The attack in Kyauktaw township struck a trading centre used by people across the region, where fighting and restrictions on transport have already made food and other supplies difficult to obtain.
The Arakan Army said a fighter jet bombed the area around noon, killing vendors, shoppers and people passing through. It said 22 of the wounded were in critical condition, while Wai Hun Aung, a senior rescue official, confirmed the overall casualty figures to the Associated Press, citing rescuers at the scene.
The market serves as a wholesale centre for traders from across Rakhine, making the strike particularly damaging to a community already struggling to keep goods moving. Images circulated after the attack showed burning buildings and vehicles and damage near a bridge, although the full extent of the destruction could not be independently established.
A separate eyewitness account reported by the German news agency dpa also placed the attack around the market and a nearby bridge. Accounts differed on how many bombs were dropped, and independent verification remains difficult in territory controlled by an armed group.
Myanmar’s military had not issued an immediate response to the reported strike. It has previously maintained that its air operations target military threats, while the Arakan Army accused it of attacking civilians and said it would retaliate.
Kyauktaw is held by the Arakan Army, which seeks greater autonomy for Rakhine and has made substantial territorial gains since launching a renewed offensive in November 2023. According to reports, the group has captured 14 of the state’s 17 townships as well as a strategically important regional military headquarters.
Those gains have changed the balance of the war in western Myanmar, but control of territory has not protected residents from attacks from the air. For civilians, the loss of a major market threatens livelihoods and access to supplies as well as adding to the immediate toll of dead and injured.
Rakhine’s humanitarian situation was severe before this strike: fighting and restrictions on trade routes had disrupted the movement of food and medicine. The World Food Programme estimates that 12.4 million people across Myanmar face acute hunger in 2026 and that more than 16 million need humanitarian assistance.
The conflict also poses distinct risks for Rakhine’s Rohingya population, many of whom have faced years of displacement and restrictions on their movement. In an August report, the UN human rights office documented a worsening situation for the Rohingya and abuses attributed to both the military and the Arakan Army.
The latest deaths follow other major strikes in the state, including an attack on a hospital in Mrauk-U township in December 2025 that killed at least 34 people. Myanmar’s wider war began after the military overthrew the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi on February 1, 2021; the suppression of protests was followed by armed resistance across much of the country.