Myanmar airstrike death toll hits 50 as families gather bodies

Families searched for bodies on Tuesday around a charred market in western Myanmar after a military airstrike killed 50 people, one of the deadliest recent bombardments in the country's civil war. Witnesses said the military's air force raided the riverside commercial hub in Kyauktaw town in western Rakhine state around midday (0530 GMT) on Monday. "It breaks my heart to see our people dying," said Aung Chay, who was still searching for the remains of his brother-in-law, whom he believed was killed in the attack. "Civilians are being unjustly murdered, and I can't bear to watch it," the 49-year-old said. "I feel deeply pained and incredibly angry." It was not possible to contact the Myanmar military for comment on the attack, which initially had a reported death toll of around 30. "The death toll has reached 50, and 58 people were injured," said aid worker Wai Hun Aung on Tuesday, warning the final fatality figure could be higher because some bodies were lost in fires after the bombing. A second local volunteer gave the same death toll, requesting anonymity for security reasons. The Arakan Army, an ethnic rebel force controlling the area, said in a statement that those killed were "innocent passersby, market vendors, shoppers and cargo loaders". It also reported that 50 people died. Families gathered in the area to claim bodies covered by thin plastic sheeting or placed in plywood coffins under an outdoor pavilion. "I don't know where to find his body and whom we should ask for help," said Aung Chay. UN rights chief Volker Turk said the strike underlined the "grave plight faced by civilians across the country -- but none more so than in Rakhine state". "For years now, Myanmar has been wracked by extreme violence, and the country's population has been subjected to pervasive human rights violations and abuses," Turk said in a statement. Market targets The market and adjacent bridge hit in Monday's bombardment had become a hive of trading activity since civil war broke out in Myanmar following a 2021 military coup. Rakhine has suffered some of the direst conditions in the war, largely cut off from the rest of Myanmar. The market thrived on a river trade route to India that had become a lifeline. Su Mon, a senior analyst at conflict monitor ACLED, said there had been only 10 air raids targeting civilians with more than 30 reported deaths since 2022, the war's first full year. "Rakhine experienced the military's mass killings the most," she said. The Arakan Army controls almost all of Rakhine, save for a few urban centres still defended by the military, which has a fleet of fighter jets manufactured by Russia and China. The military's air wing is also accused of committing atrocities targeting civilians at schools, monasteries and religious festivals -- attacks rights groups say may constitute war crimes. "The military is eager to regain control of Rakhine," Su Mon said, adding that an offensive launched this month "has not yielded battlefield success". Nearly half a million people are living displaced in Rakhine as a result of the conflict, UN data says. More than 100,000 people have been killed in Myanmar in the conflict since the 2021 putsch that unseated Aung San Suu Kyi's elected government, ACLED estimates. UN chief condemns strike UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was alarmed by reports of the airstrike and "strongly condemns" ongoing attacks against civilians, his spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said Tuesday. "The secretary general strongly condemns these attacks and calls on all parties to end violence immediately to protect civilians and comply with their obligations under international law," Dujarric told reporters, demanding that those responsible be held to account. Dujarric said the Sept. 28 bombardment near a market in the town of Kyauktaw reportedly killed 50 people and injured nearly 60, with many survivors sustaining critical wounds. The attack, he said, brings into "sharp focus" that conditions do not exist for the safe, voluntary, dignified and sustainable return of displaced people, including Rohingya communities. Guterres urged the warring parties to facilitate "safe, sustained, and unimpeded" passage for the UN and humanitarian partners to deliver vital assistance wherever required. The UN chief also echoed concerns voiced by the UN Refugee Agency and the UN Human Rights Office about the reported return of roughly 1,500 people to Myanmar by Malaysian authorities, urging Kuala Lumpur to halt the process and cease further deportations immediately. Malaysia began repatriating 1,476 Myanmar nationals on Tuesday aboard three Myanmar naval vessels. The group comprises 1,370 men, 79 women, 20 boys and seven girls between the ages of 8 and 60, Malaysian state news agency Bernama reported, citing Home Ministry Deputy Secretary-General Makhzan Mahyuddin. Dujarric stressed that customary international law imposes a binding obligation on all nations prohibiting the return of individuals to countries where they face persecution, torture or severe threats to life and liberty. Myanmar has been embroiled in a protracted civil war that intensified after Min Aung Hlaing ousted an elected government in February 2021. Several ethnic opposition groups are fighting Min's government in several parts of the country. Rakhine is home largely to the Rohingya community, a predominantly Muslim group that has faced persecution by Myanmar's military as well as other opposition groups. Hundreds of thousands of Rohingya have been forced out of the Buddhist-majority Southeast Asian nation over the years.