Myanmar junta airstrike on Kyauktaw, Rakhine, kills 33, injures 36

Mizzima

A Myanmar junta jet fighter bombed the area around Kissapanadi Bridge and the Indian Market in Kyauktaw town, Rakhine State, on the afternoon of 28 September, killing 33 civilians and injuring 36 others so far, the Arakan Army (AA) said.

The jet fighter carried out the attack at 12:10 PM and 12:14 PM. The market was busy with sellers and shoppers, and residents were having lunch. The aircraft made no audible approach, dropping its bombs without warning, according to local sources.

“People were eating when the bombs fell. The market was extremely crowded. We didn’t hear the plane at all; it suddenly dropped the bombs, and we only heard the explosions. This time, with the jet and the bombs, nobody had time to hide. In earlier attacks, we would at least hear the aircraft coming. This time it came in silently and dropped its bombs on the target in one go. Only afterward did people run in panic to take cover,” a Kyauktaw woman told Mizzima.

The AA said the death toll could rise. A local source said 32 bodies had been counted by the person compiling the casualty list, and that others had not yet been retrieved from burning areas.

In its statement, the AA said the attack is one of the deadliest incidents of mass civilian deaths since the airstrike on Mrauk-U General Hospital.

At about 12:35 PM the same day, a jet fighter also dropped two bombs on the Ngapali area of Thandwe Township. Details are still being gathered.

Between 17 and 27 September, junta forces attacked nine townships in Rakhine State around the clock with Y-12 aircraft, jet fighters, and heavy artillery. The townships were Ann, Anjanapura (Minbya), Gwa, Kyauktaw, Ponnagyun, Virathani (Pauktaw), Rathedaung, Thandwe, and Mrauk-U. The attacks killed six civilians and injured 21 others, the AA said in a statement on 27 September.