Airstrike on Myanmar Hospital in Rakhine State Kills Dozens

A devastating airstrike carried out by Myanmar's ruling military junta struck the Mrauk U General Hospital in the western Rakhine state, resulting in the deaths of at least 30 individuals, including patients, with more than 70 others wounded, officials and witnesses reported on Thursday.

Khine Thu Kha, spokesperson for the Arakan Army (AA), which opposes the junta and controls much of Rakhine state, confirmed that bombs dropped by military aircraft hit the hospital late Wednesday night. He described the facility as "completely destroyed," adding that the high casualty count was due to the hospital receiving a direct hit.

A junta representative did not respond to requests for comment.

The 300-bed hospital was overwhelmed with patients at the time, as healthcare services have been severely disrupted throughout Rakhine amid escalating conflict, according to aid worker Wai Hun Aung. Images shared by Wai Hun Aung on social media showed the hospital in ruins the following morning, with a collapsed roof, broken structural supports, and bodies of victims laid out around the site. Reuters could not immediately verify these images.

Wai Hun Aung stated that remaining patients had been relocated to safer locations. A local 23-year-old resident described arriving at the scene shortly after the explosion to find the hospital engulfed in flames, with numerous casualties and injured people present.

The Myanmar military, which retains the nation's sole air force, has increasingly deployed airstrikes against rebel-held territories. Data from the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED) revealed that the junta conducted 2,165 airstrikes in the first eleven months of this year, surpassing the 1,716 strikes recorded throughout 2023.

The ongoing conflict erupted after the military's 2021 coup ousted the elected government led by Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, triggering widespread resistance. Ethnic armed groups such as the Arakan Army have allied with newly formed anti-junta resistance forces to confront the military on multiple fronts.

Since a ceasefire collapsed in 2023, the Arakan Army has seized control of 14 out of Rakhine's 17 townships, governing an area larger than Belgium, according to analysis by the ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute. Despite the destruction to the hospital, Khine Thu Kha noted that Mrauk U township had been under Arakan Army control since last year, with no recent fighting reported in the area prior to the strike.