At least 34 people have been killed and dozens injured after Myanmar’s military carried out air strikes on a hospital in the western town of Mrauk-U, according to local ground sources.
The hospital is located in Rakhine State, a region controlled by the Arakan Army (AA) — one of the most powerful ethnic armed groups fighting the junta since the military seized power in a 2021 coup.
AA spokesperson Khaing Thukha told the BBC that most of the victims were patients, calling the attack “the latest vicious assault targeting civilian places”. He accused the military of committing a “terrorist” act and said the junta must be held responsible.
The Arakan Army’s health department said the airstrike struck the hospital at around 21:00 local time (14:30 GMT), killing 10 patients instantly and injuring many more.
Images circulating online show collapsed roof sections, shattered hospital beds and debris scattered across the compound.
The military has not commented on the attack, though pro-junta Telegram channels claim the strikes this week were not targeting civilians.
Myanmar’s military has increasingly relied on relentless air bombardments in recent months as it attempts to recapture territory lost to ethnic armies. It has also used paragliders to drop bombs, a tactic that killed more than 20 people earlier this year at a religious festival.
Thousands have died and millions have fled their homes since the coup triggered a nationwide civil war.
At one point, the military lost control of over half the country, but analysts say new equipment and support from China and Russia have helped it regain ground.
The strike comes as the junta prepares for a 28 December general election, its first since taking power. Critics, including UN human rights expert Tom Andrews, have dismissed the vote as a “sham election”.
In recent weeks, authorities have arrested civilians accused of disrupting the polls, including a man accused of posting anti-election messages on Facebook. Ten activists are also being sought for allegedly organising anti-election protests.
Ethnic armed groups have vowed to boycott the vote, and one candidate in central Magway Region has reportedly been detained by an anti-junta group.
