The strike levelled an entire wing of the Mrauk-U general hospital, leaving rubble piled atop ward beds and a large crater gouged into the ground outside. At least 20 bodies were seen lying shrouded overnight near the facility before rescue workers moved in at daybreak. “The situation is very terrible,” said aid worker Wai Hun Aung, who confirmed 31 deaths and warned that the toll was likely to rise, with at least 68 people wounded. “There will be more and more,” he added, describing widespread destruction and frantic recovery efforts.
Among the victims were the wife, daughter-in-law, and relative of local carpenter Maung Bu Chay, who said he heard the explosion from his village and searched through the night without knowing where the bombs had fallen. When told his family members were inside a “completely destroyed building,” he realised they could not have survived. “I feel resentful about their act. I feel strong anger and defiance in my heart,” the 61-year-old said.
The junta, which seized power in a 2021 coup that ended a decade-long democratic opening, could not immediately be reached for comment. Conflict monitors say military air operations have sharply risen year on year as the armed forces struggle to counter resistance across the country. The military has framed the December 28 elections as a possible path toward easing unrest, but multiple resistance groups have vowed to prevent voting in areas under their control.
Rakhine state is almost entirely governed by the Arakan Army (AA), a powerful ethnic armed group long active in the region. The AA’s health department said ten hospital patients were “killed on the spot” when the strike hit around 9 p.m. on Wednesday. The group has become one of the most formidable forces in the post-coup conflict, fighting alongside other ethnic organisations and pro-democracy factions that took up arms after the military removed civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
The hospital bombing underscores the escalating human cost of Myanmar’s civil war, where civilians continue to bear the brunt of a widening battleground. With elections approaching and violence intensifying in contested regions, the attack at Mrauk-U highlights the deepening instability gripping the country and the steep challenges facing any attempt at political reconciliation.
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