A devastating airstrike by Myanmar’s ruling junta has killed at least 30 people, including patients and medical staff, after a military aircraft directly hit a major hospital in western Rakhine state. Witnesses, aid workers and the Arakan Army confirmed the attack on the Mrauk U General Hospital late Wednesday, describing the strike as one of the deadliest in the region this year.
Hospital Leveled as Airstrike Causes Mass Casualties
More than 70 people were injured when bombs dropped by a junta aircraft struck the 300-bed hospital in Mrauk U township. Khine Thu Kha, spokesperson for the Arakan Army, said the facility was “completely destroyed” because it took a direct hit. He added that the high casualty count was due to the hospital being full of patients, as healthcare services have collapsed across large parts of Rakhine amid ongoing conflict.
Images shared by aid worker Wai Hun Aung showed the building reduced to rubble, with a collapsed roof, shattered pillars and bodies laid out on the ground. Reuters has not yet been able to verify the images, but witnesses say the scene was catastrophic.
“The remaining patients have been moved to a safe location,” Wai Hun Aung confirmed.
A 23-year-old local resident who arrived moments after hearing explosions said the facility was already engulfed in flames. He described seeing “many bodies lying around and many injured people,” but requested anonymity due to security fears.
Escalating Conflict Drives Rise in Junta Airstrikes
The junta has increasingly relied on air power as it battles resistance groups and ethnic armies across multiple frontlines. According to the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project, the junta carried out 2,165 airstrikes from January to late November this year—surpassing the total number recorded in all of 2024.
Myanmar has been in turmoil since the military seized power in a 2021 coup, overthrowing the elected government led by Aung San Suu Kyi. In Rakhine, fighting escalated sharply after a ceasefire collapsed in 2023. The Arakan Army has since taken control of 14 of the state’s 17 townships, an area larger than Belgium, according to an analysis by the ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute.
Arakan Army officials say Mrauk U township has been under their control since last year and that there had been no recent clashes in the area before the hospital strike. The junta has not responded to requests for comment.
