Casualties in Myanmar Following Airstrike Targeting Hospital in Rakhine State

SadaNews - More than 31 people were killed in an airstrike carried out by the Burmese military on a public hospital in the town of Mrohpaw in Rakhine State in western Myanmar, according to a field relief worker on Thursday. This comes as the military council intensifies its attacks ahead of the elections scheduled for later this month.

The military council has continued to escalate its airstrikes year after year since the outbreak of civil war and its coup in 2021, which ended a decade of democratic experimentation.

The elections are set for December 28, promoted as an exit from the fighting, while rebel factions vow to obstruct their conduct in the areas they control, witnessing fierce battles to reclaim them.

Relief worker Wai Hlaung said a military aircraft bombed the hospital on Wednesday evening, confirming that "the situation is extremely horrific," and that the number of casualties has reached 31 so far, with expectations of the number rising. He also noted that 68 injuries were recorded in the attack.

During the night, at least 20 bodies wrapped in shrouds were seen laid on the ground outside the hospital. A representative of the military council could not be reached for comment on the incident.