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A hospital in Myanmar’s western Rakhine state was severely damaged during an airstrike carried out by the country’s military, resulting in the deaths of more than 30 individuals, including patients. According to a rebel group, an aid worker, and a witness on Thursday, over 70 people were injured in the attack.
The strike on the hospital in Mrauk U township occurred late Wednesday when bombs dropped from a military aircraft hit the facility. Khine Thu Kha, spokesperson for the Arakan Army—which is fighting the ruling military junta in parts of Rakhine—stated, “The Mrauk U General Hospital was completely destroyed. The high number of casualties was because the hospital was directly hit.” The military’s spokesperson did not respond to requests for comment.
Myanmar has been embroiled in ongoing conflict since the military quashed protests against the 2021 coup that ousted the elected government led by Aung San Suu Kyi, a Nobel laureate.
At the time of the attack, the 300-bed hospital was overwhelmed with patients, as most healthcare services across large areas of Rakhine have been suspended due to ongoing hostilities, reported aid worker Wai Hun Aung. By Thursday morning, images shared by Wai Hun Aung showed the hospital reduced to ruins, with a collapsed roof, broken columns, beams, and bodies of victims strewn across the ground. Reuters could not verify the images immediately.
“The remaining patients have been moved to a safe location,” Wai Hun Aung said.
A 23-year-old resident of Mrauk U, who arrived soon after hearing explosions on Wednesday night, described the chaos. “When I got there, the hospital was on fire. I saw many bodies on the ground and numerous injured people,” he recounted, requesting anonymity for safety reasons.
The Myanmar military, which possesses the country’s sole air force, has been increasingly using airstrikes against rebel-held areas. Between January and late November this year, provisional data from the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project indicates the military conducted 2,165 airstrikes—more than the 1,716 recorded in all of 2024.
Resistance groups that emerged after the coup have teamed up with major ethnic armies, like the Arakan Army, to challenge the military, which is fighting on multiple fronts. Since the collapse of a ceasefire in 2023, the Arakan Army has expelled the military from 14 of Rakhine’s 17 townships, controlling an area larger than Belgium, according to analyses from the ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute.
Mrauk U township, located in the northern part of Rakhine, has been under Arakan Army control since last year. Khine Thu Kha mentioned that there has been no recent fighting in the area.
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