Seven civilians killed by airstrikes in Rakhine State as clashes intensify near Sittwe

Residents in Ponnagyun Township, Arakan State, carry out search-and-rescue operations after two airstrikes hit a displacement camp sheltering civilians on Oct. 4. (Credit: AA)

At least seven civilians were killed and 17 others were injured in airstrikes carried out by the Myanmar Air Force on Pauktaw Township’s Sin Ein village in Arakan State on Saturday.

Wai Hun Aung, a humanitarian aid worker in territory controlled by the Arakan Army (AA), told DVB that five civilians were confirmed dead. Pauktaw, located 131 miles (210 km) east of the state capital Sittwe, was seized by the AA in 2024.

Residents in Sittwe told DVB that fighting between the AA and regime forces is taking place along the road to Pauktaw. “I’m so afraid of airstrikes that I haven’t been able to sleep a single night,” a Sittwe resident told DVB.

At least 420 homes across three villages on Pauktaw’s Ngapi Island have been burned down after artillery was fired by regime forces from Oct. 7-10. No casualties were reported.