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 civil war.

Witnesses say 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, still hunting for the remains of his brother-in-law he believes 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 had an initial 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 may 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 boxed up 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.

The United Nations chief Antonio Guterres was "alarmed" by the reports of the airstrike and its mounting death toll, according to his spokesman.

"Continuing violence in Rakhine State underscores that conditions do not currently exist for the safe, voluntary, dignified, and sustainable return of refugees and other displaced people, including Rohingyas," said the spokesman, Stephane Dujarric.

"This latest airstrike brings that reality into sharp focus."

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, which had become a lifeline.

Su Mon, a senior analyst at conflict monitor ACLED, said there have 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 wielding 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, launching an offensive this month which "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 conflict since the 2021 putsch unseated Aung San Suu Kyi's elected government, ACLED estimates.