Myanmar airstrike death toll rises to 50 - Bangkok Post

NAY PYI TAW — The death toll from a military airstrike in west Myanmar rose to 50 on Tuesday, two local aid workers at the scene said, the day after it struck a busy market.

Witnesses say the military bombed the riverside commercial hub in Kyauktaw town, Rakhine state, around midday (0530 GMT) on Monday, when the initial death toll was reported at around 30.

"The death toll has reached 50, and 58 people were injured," said aid worker Wai Hun Aung, warning the final fatality figure may be higher because some bodies were lost in fires following the bombing.

A second local volunteer gave the same death toll, requesting anonymity for security reasons.

It has not been possible to contact the Myanmar military for comment on the attack.

Khaing Nu said her younger sister -- a market vendor -- remained missing in the aftermath as firefighters doused flames and recovered bodies were laid out in ranks under green plastic sheeting.

"When I went to check the place where my younger sister sells fruits at the market, neither the place nor herself were there anymore," said the 57-year-old.

"I don't even know where to go. I also feel worried for my younger sister's little daughter, who has been left behind. Whenever I think about the future, my heart hurts."

The western state of Rakhine is witnessing some of the direst conditions in Myanmar's civil war which was unleashed by a 2021 military coup.

The market area hit on Monday has become a hive of commercial activity since the conflict broke out.

It is on the banks of a river crossing the Indian border, providing a vital trade route for a state which has become largely cut off to the rest of Myanmar -- suffering increasing hunger and poverty.

Vehicles pass by a person and motorcycles lying on a bridge as fire burns nearby following a Myanmar military airstrike, according to a rebel group that controls the area and a local aid worker, in Kyauktaw, Rakhine State, Myanmar, in this screen grab obtained from a social media video released on Sept 28, 2026. (Screenshot)

"When I heard that fighter jets were coming, I crouched and hid near the guard post," 49-year-old Khin Myint Chay said.

"A short while later, I heard an explosion. After that, I lost my hearing for a while."

The AA control almost all of Rakhine, save a handle of urban areas occupied by the besieged armed forces.

But the military is able to fend them off with its fleet of fighter jets manufactured by Russia and China.

The air wing is also accused of committing atrocities targeting civilians at schools, monasteries and religious festivals -- attacks rights groups say may constitute war crimes.

Nearly half-a-million people are living displaced in Rakhine as a result of the conflict, according to United Nations (UN) data.

More than 100,000 people have been killed in Myanmar in conflict since the 2021 putsch unseated Aung Sang Suu Kyi's elected government, according to conflict monitor ACLED.