A military air strike in Myanmar’s westernmost state has killed at least 17 people after hitting a village market, according to two local sources on Wednesday.
The country has been gripped by civil war since the junta seized power in a 2021 coup, setting the armed forces against a coalition of ethnic minority armed groups and pro-democracy resistance fighters.
The armed opposition group, the Arakan Army, reported that 17 “innocent civilians” were killed in Tuesday’s strike on Yoe Ngu village market in Rakhine state. Meanwhile, the civilian volunteer organisation Ponnagyun Youths Association (PYA) said the death toll stood at 18.
A spokesperson for the Myanmar military was unavailable for comment.
“The scene was really bad, four or five buildings were burnt down and many buildings were destroyed,” said PYA chairman Pyae Phyo Naing, who arrived at the site shortly after the attack.
“Some people were crying while many dead bodies were scattered over the area,” the 23-year-old added. “Some people were running away from the scene as there were also houses still burning when we arrived.”