At least 17 people were killed after Myanmar’s military carried out an airstrike on a rural market in western Rakhine State, according to local sources cited by Agence France-Presse on Wednesday.

The attack targeted an area currently under the control of the Arakan Army, an ethnic armed organization fighting against Myanmar’s ruling junta. The group said many of those killed were civilians who had gathered at the market for their daily needs.

A local volunteer group, the Ponnagyun Youths Association, reported that the death toll could rise to 18 as rescue efforts continue. Its chairperson, Pyae Phyo Naing, visited the scene shortly after the strike and described the aftermath as “devastating and heartbreaking.”

According to his account, at least four to five structures were completely destroyed in the bombing. Fires were still burning in parts of the market area when volunteers arrived, while terrified residents fled in search of safety.

The Myanmar military has not issued an immediate statement regarding the strike despite attempts to seek comment.

Rakhine State has witnessed escalating violence in recent months as clashes intensify between junta forces and the Arakan Army. Since the military seized power in a 2021 coup, Myanmar has been engulfed in protracted conflict involving the junta and multiple ethnic armed groups, deepening the humanitarian crisis across several regions of the country.

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