An airstrike carried out by the country’s military near a market in a territory controlled by a powerful rebel group has killed at least 49 people and wounded 58 others, the group and a rescue official said.
The attack in western Rakhine state was the latest in a series of deadly airstrikes against pro- democracy resistance forces and ethnic armed groups across the country.
Myanmar has been in turmoil since the military seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi on Feb 1, 2021, triggering widespread opposition.
After security forces suppressed peaceful protests with lethal force, many opponents of military rule took up arms, plunging large parts of the country into conflict.
Monday’s attack occurred in Kyauktaw township, about 340km west of Mandalay, the country’s second-largest city, according to the Arakan Army, a powerful ethnic armed group based in Rakhine which controls Kyauktaw.
It was impossible to independently confirm details of the attack.
The Arakan Army said in a statement released early yesterday that a fighter jet dropped two bombs near a local market around noon, killing vendors, shoppers and pedestrians.
The group said 58 people were injured, 22 of them critically.
The statement said the group “will take effective retaliatory measures soon against the individuals and organisations directly responsible for the attacks involving deliberate airstrikes that have caused mass casualties”.
Wai Hun Aung, a senior rescue official in Rakhine, confirmed the casualties, citing rescue workers at the scene. He said the market was the region’s main wholesale centre, drawing traders and shoppers from across the state.
“This is one of the most severe airstrikes in Rakhine,” he said.
Photos and videos posted on social media showed buildings on fire, damaged vehicles and parts of a nearby bridge destroyed.
The military did not immediately comment on the attack. It has previously said it strikes only legitimate military targets and has accused resistance groups of terrorism. — AP
