An airstrike carried out by the Myanmar Air Force on a crowded civilian market and an adjacent bridge killed at least 33 people and injured 36 others on Monday, according to statements from the Arakan Army (AA) and local rescue workers.
The attack targeted the “Indian Market” and the nearby Kissapanadi Bridge in Kyauktaw Township, located in northern Arakan State near the Myanmar-Bangladesh border.
Local aid worker Wai Hun Aung, whose team operated at the scene alongside emergency responders, confirmed the casualty toll and noted that the death figure could rise further as search operations continue among the debris.
“This location is quite far from the fighting and has nothing to do with the conflict,” Wai Hun Aung stated, emphasizing that the strikes hit a heavily populated commercial zone during peak midday activity.
Witnesses reported seeing human remains scattered across cratered roads and smouldering wreckage in the immediate aftermath of the bombardment.
The Kissapanadi Bridge spans the Kaladan River, forming a crucial transportation link connecting Kyauktaw with Mrauk-U, Minbya, and Myebon townships—seized by the Arakan Army in 2024.
Following the airstrike, local authorities closed entry gates to Kyauktaw and suspended operations across public markets.
A regime spokesperson in Naypyidaw did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Reuters regarding the attack.
Naypyidaw has previously maintained in official statements that its armed forces exercise maximum restraint to avoid civilian harm, even as its ground forces rely heavily on Russian- and Chinese-manufactured fighter jets to strike resistance-administered territories across multiple frontlines.
