Kyauktaw market and bridge hit by airstrikes; Arakan Army reports at least 33 dead
Airstrikes hit a market and adjacent bridge in Kyauktaw, Myanmar’s Rakhine State. The Arakan Army reported at least 33 dead and 36 injured; A local aid worker confirmed those figures to Reuters. Local outlet DVB had counted at least 10 deaths in its earlier report. The figures came at different times and should not be treated as one definitive toll.
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The market and bridge were hit
Airstrikes hit a market and the adjacent Kissapanadi Bridge in Kyauktaw, in western Myanmar’s Rakhine State, on September 28. The Arakan Army, an armed group fighting Myanmar’s military in the region, reported at least 33 dead and 36 injured. Reuters said local aid worker Wai Hun Aung confirmed those figures, while the agency could not independently verify every detail of the incident. Local outlet Democratic Voice of Burma counted at least 10 civilians killed in its initial report and said the number injured was then unknown. These were counts from different stages of the same attack.[1], [2]
Kyauktaw’s crossing route closed
DVB reported three strikes around the Indian Market and the bridge over the Kaladan River. The road across it links Kyauktaw with Mrauk-U, Minbya and Myebon. Residents told DVB that entry gates to Kyauktaw and all public markets closed on the day of the attack. The later toll reported by Reuters concerns the same market and bridge area. An eyewitness speaking to AFP said they saw more than 30 bodies at the site; that observation does not independently establish the full toll announced by the Arakan Army.[2], [1]
Arakan Army seized the town in 2024
Kyauktaw lies about 96 kilometres north of the Rakhine state capital, Sittwe. The Arakan Army seized the town in February 2024; DVB said it also took the three other towns linked by the bridge road that year. Before this attack, DVB reported at least six deaths and 16 injuries in separate airstrikes on areas held by the group during September 17–27. Those earlier casualties are separate from the September 28 toll. The Arakan Army accused the military of targeting civilian sites. Myanmar’s military did not respond to Reuters about the Kyauktaw attack.[2], [1]
