Airstrike on Myanmar hospital kills 34, injures dozens

In this photo provided by Wai Hun Aung, a damaged building is seen at the hospital that was allegedly hit by a military air strike in Mrauk-U township in Rakhine state, Myanmar, Thursday, Dec.11, 2025.

An airstrike by Myanmar’s military destroyed a hospital in a rebel-controlled region of Rakhine state, killing 34 patients and medical staff and injuring about 80 others, according to rescue workers and local sources.

The attack struck the general hospital in Mrauk-U township on Wednesday night, an area currently under the control of the Arakan Army (AA). The military authorities have not acknowledged any operation in the area.

Wai Hun Aung, a senior rescue official in Rakhine, said a jet fighter dropped two bombs at 9:13 p.m., one hitting the recovery ward and the other landing near the main building. He reported that 17 men and 17 women were killed, with large sections of the hospital reduced to rubble. Vehicles parked nearby were also damaged.

Images shared by local media showed collapsed structures, shattered equipment and debris scattered across the hospital grounds.

The Mrauk-U hospital had served as the primary healthcare facility for the region after most hospitals in Rakhine were forced to shut down due to the intensifying civil conflict. Doctors had recently regrouped there to provide essential services to civilians.

Mrauk-U, located about 530 kilometers northwest of Yangon, fell under AA control in February 2024. The group has since captured key military positions and now controls most of Rakhine’s townships.

The region has a long history of conflict, including the 2017 military crackdown that pushed more than 740,000 Rohingya Muslims into Bangladesh. Tensions between Buddhist Rakhine and Rohingya communities remain unresolved.

Myanmar’s shadow National Unity Government condemned the attack and urged the international community to pressure the military, hold perpetrators accountable, and expand humanitarian assistance.

Myanmar has been gripped by nationwide conflict since the military seized power in 2021. With elections planned for December 28, the military has intensified airstrikes against resistance forces. Critics argue the polls will be neither free nor fair, serving primarily to reinforce military control.