At least 33 people killed in western Myanmar airstrike, rebel group and aid worker say

At least 33 people were killed and 36 injured in a Myanmar military airstrike near a market in the country's war-torn Rakhine state on Monday, according to the Arakan Army and a local aid worker.

The strike hit the town of Kyauktaw in northern Rakhine, which borders Bangladesh and is controlled by the Arakan Army, an ethnic armed group fighting Myanmar's military.

The Arakan Army said the airstrike struck a market and an adjacent bridge in the riverside town. The reported death toll could rise further, it said.

Aid worker Wai Hun Aung, whose team operates in the area, confirmed the reported casualty figures.

“This location is quite far from the fighting and has nothing to do with the conflict,” Wai said, referring to Kyauktaw.

Reuters could not independently verify the details of the attack.

A spokesperson for Myanmar's government did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The government has previously said the military exercises maximum restraint to avoid civilian casualties.

Myanmar has been in turmoil since a 2021 military coup triggered a civil war, with the Arakan Army and other armed groups fighting government forces across multiple front lines.

The Arakan Army and Wai said Monday's attack was among the deadliest airstrikes reported in Rakhine in recent months. In December 2025, an airstrike on a hospital in western Rakhine killed at least