A military airstrike struck a crowded market in Kyauktaw town in western Myanmar’s Rakhine State on Monday around midday, killing at least 50 people and injuring 58 others, according to local authorities, aid workers, and the Arakan Army, an ethnic rebel group controlling much of the area. The attack is among the deadliest recent bombardments in Myanmar’s ongoing civil conflict.

Eyewitnesses and aid workers described scenes of devastation at the marketplace, a major commercial hub along the river that attracts traders and shoppers from across the region. Survivors reported seeing charred bodies, including women, children, and market vendors. One aid worker recalled seeing a mother and her approximately one-year-old child killed in the blast. Families gathered at the site to identify and recover remains, many of which were badly burned or fragmented. Some victims have yet to be identified, leaving relatives searching for missing loved ones.

The Myanmar military, which has not commented directly on the attack, routinely asserts that its airstrikes target armed groups it designates as terrorists. However, the Arakan Army condemned the bombing as a war crime and asserted that those killed were innocent civilians including passersby, vendors, and cargo handlers. The group vowed to retaliate against those responsible.

Rakhine State has been a focal point of conflict for years. The Arakan Army has been engaged in a longstanding fight against Myanmar’s military, seeking autonomy for the ethnic Rakhine Buddhist population. The area is also home to Rohingya Muslims, a persecuted minority who have faced violence from both the military and the Arakan Army. Fighting intensified following the military coup in February 2021, which overthrew the elected government and sparked widespread resistance across the country.

The United Nations and human rights officials have repeatedly highlighted the severe impact of the conflict on civilians in Rakhine and throughout Myanmar. UN human rights chief Volker Turk referred to Monday’s airstrike as illustrative of the grave dangers faced by civilians amid prolonged violence and abuses in the country.

Rescue workers on the ground expressed concern about the risk of further air raids, noting the military’s history of conducting repeated attacks on locations where civilians and aid teams have gathered. Previous incidents, including a December 2025 bombing of a hospital in Rakhine, resulted in significant civilian casualties.

The market airstrike underscores the continuing peril faced by residents in conflict zones of Myanmar, as the military and ethnic armed groups remain engaged in fierce and protracted fighting with devastating humanitarian consequences.