Death toll from junta airstrike on Mrauk-U neighbourhood rises to 14

By Admin 27 Aug 2025

DMG Newsroom

27 August 2025, Mrauk-U

Another child and woman have succumbed to injuries they sustained in a junta airstrike on Daing Kyi Ward in Mrauk-U, bringing the death toll from the August 25 attack to 14.

The deceased were identified as 5-year-old Maung Aung Aung and 32-year-old Daw Aye Sandar Hnin, who died Tuesday evening while receiving medical treatment.

"A child and a woman were seriously injured in the regime aerial attack and died while receiving medical treatment. The other patients are not in critical condition," said a local man in Mrauk-U. Maung Aung Aung suffered a head wound from the blast, and Daw Aye Sandar Hnin suffered serious injuries to much of her body.

A junta jet fighter dropped two large bombs on Daing Kyi Ward in Mrauk-U, which is under Arakan Army (AA) control, at around 11 p.m. on August 25, initially killing 12 people including children and wounding 20 others.

With the death toll reaching 14 on Tuesday, locals say the remaining injured are likely to survive as their conditions are not considered critical.

The military regime also launched an aerial bombardment on Kyaukkhote Village, part of Arakan State's Minbya Township, on the afternoon of August 26.

The military regime has been conducting airstrikes on townships controlled by the Arakan Army in recent days, prompting local residents to be wary of airstrikes.

"Arakanese people need to be aware of the military regime's airstrikes these days," said an official from an Arakan civil society organisation. "The military regime has been carrying out airstrikes in Mrauk-U and Minbya one after another, so we don't know what will happen next. So, the locals need to keep their eyes and ears open, and dig more bomb shelters. We need to do it in advance to minimise the damage. I think the Arakan Army should also encourage these things."

The Arakan Army issued a statement on Tuesday saying the military regime is committing war crimes by daily bombing non-military targets including schools, hospitals, markets, religious buildings, roads and bridges, displacement camps and densely populated villages across the country.

Human rights activists note that targeting civilians amounts to a war crime.

A female Arakanese human rights activist said: "People are suffering a lot because of the junta airstrikes. What I want to tell the authorities is to resolve the issue either militarily or politically, and not to target the people. Now, the people are suffering human rights violations."

The number of mass casualty incidents is increasing as the military regime frequently carries out airstrikes on townships in Arakan State controlled by the Arakan Army, including Mrauk-U.

According to a DMG tally, the military regime carried out five airstrikes on Mrauk-U from April 2024 to August 27, 2025, killing 61 people, including children, and injuring 77.