BANGKOK: A drone attack targeting Rohingya fleeing Myanmar resulted in the deaths of dozens, including families with children, as survivors recounted wandering through piles of bodies to identify their dead and injured relatives.
Witnesses, including activists and a diplomat, reported drone strikes on Monday that targeted families waiting to cross into neighboring Bangladesh. Among the victims were a heavily pregnant woman and her 2-year-old daughter, marking this incident as the deadliest known attack on civilians in Rakhine State amid escalating violence between junta forces and rebels.
Three witnesses alleged that the Arakan Army was responsible for the attacks, a claim the group has denied. Both the militia and Myanmar’s military have blamed each other for the incident. However, Reuters could not independently verify the number of casualties or ascertain responsibility for the attack.
Videos circulating on social media depicted piles of bodies scattered across muddy ground, with belongings such as suitcases and backpacks strewn about. Three survivors estimated that more than 200 individuals had died, while another witness reported seeing at least 70 bodies.
One survivor, Mohammed Eleyas, 35, recounted how he was standing with his pregnant wife and young daughter at the shoreline when the drones struck. “I heard the deafening sound of shelling multiple times,” he said. Eleyas described how he lay on the ground for safety, and when he got up, he found his wife and daughter critically injured, along with many of his relatives dead.
Another witness, 28-year-old Shamsuddin, also spoke from a refugee camp in Bangladesh, stating that he survived with his wife and newborn son. He described the aftermath, where many lay dead and others cried out in pain from their injuries.
Additionally, boats carrying fleeing Rohingya sank in the Naf River separating the two countries, leading to even more deaths, according to two witnesses and reports from Bangladeshi media. Médecins Sans Frontières announced that they had treated 39 individuals who crossed into Bangladesh with violence-related injuries, including gunshot wounds and injuries from mortar shelling. Survivors described witnessing people being bombed while attempting to board boats for the river crossing.
A spokesperson for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees confirmed awareness of the deaths related to capsized boats in the Bay of Bengal and noted reports of civilian casualties in Maungdaw, though they could not verify the details or numbers.
The Rohingya, a predominantly Muslim minority, have faced severe persecution in Buddhist-majority Myanmar. Over 730,000 fled the country in 2017 following a military-led crackdown described by the UN as having genocidal intent.
Since the military coup in 2021, Myanmar has been in turmoil, with mass protests evolving into widespread armed conflict. Rohingya have been leaving Rakhine State in recent weeks as the Arakan Army, one of several armed groups fighting the military, has made significant territorial gains in the region.
Activist groups have condemned the recent attacks, and Canadian Ambassador to the United Nations Bob Rae confirmed the reports, stating, “These reports of hundreds of Rohingya killed at the Bangladesh/Myanmar border are, I’m sorry to say, accurate.”
Myanmar’s junta has attributed blame for the drone attack to the Arakan Army in a post on its Telegram channel.
