> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.theglobalvoice.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # At Least 49 Dead After Airstrike Hits Rebel-Held Myanmar Town - URL: https://www.theglobalvoice.com/at-least-49-dead-after-airstrike-hits-rebel-held-myanmar-town/ - Published: 2026-09-29T03:55:11.000Z - Updated: 2026-09-29T03:55:11.000Z - Description: At least 49 people were killed and 58 wounded when a Myanmar military aircraft bombed a crowded market area in rebel-held Rakhine State. The toll rose sharply overnight, with rescue officials warning that 22 injured people remained in critical condition. - Author: TGV Desk - Tags: Myanmar, conflict, War, Crime, The Day So Far, Top Stories, has-audio At least 49 people have been killed and 58 wounded in a Myanmar military airstrike near a crowded market in western Rakhine State, according to the ethnic armed group controlling the area and rescue workers involved in the response. The attack struck Kyauktaw township at around noon on Monday, September 28\. The Arakan Army said a fighter jet dropped two bombs near the town’s main wholesale market and the nearby Kissapanadi Bridge, hitting vendors, shoppers, pedestrians and passing vehicles. The reported death toll initially stood at 33 but rose to 49 as rescue teams recovered more bodies and critically injured victims died. Twenty-two of the wounded were reported to be in critical condition, raising the possibility of a further increase. > Kyauktaw Airstrike Death Toll Rises to 49; 58 Injured, 22 Critical > > September 28, 2026 > > The death toll from the Military Commission’s airstrike on Kyauktaw town has risen to 49, with 58 others injured, including 22 in critical condition, according to the latest local casualty… [pic.twitter.com/VC7bu4xLwp](https://t.co/VC7bu4xLwp?ref=theglobalvoice.com) > > — Arakan Bay News (@ArakanBaynews) [September 28, 2026](https://x.com/ArakanBaynews/status/2104619137465209046?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=theglobalvoice.com) Images circulated after the attack showed burning buildings, wrecked vehicles and damage to part of the bridge. The market is an important commercial centre for the region and attracts traders from across Rakhine, making it particularly busy during daytime hours. Independent verification remains difficult because communications and access are severely restricted across much of the state. However, a senior rescue official confirmed the revised casualty figures after receiving reports from emergency teams working at the scene. Myanmar’s military authorities had not issued a detailed response by Tuesday. The military has previously maintained that its aircraft target armed opponents and legitimate military positions, while resistance organisations accuse it of repeatedly bombing civilian areas under their control. [The Arakan Army](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arakan%5FArmy?ref=theglobalvoice.com) described the attack as deliberate and said it would take retaliatory measures against those responsible. The group is one of the most powerful ethnic armed forces fighting Myanmar’s military government and seeks greater autonomy for the ethnic Rakhine population. --- It resumed a major offensive in November 2023 and has since captured 14 of Rakhine State’s 17 townships, including Kyauktaw. Only the state capital Sittwe, the strategically important port town of Kyaukphyu and the island township of Manaung remain under firm military control. The loss of territory has left the military increasingly dependent on aircraft, drones and long-range weapons to strike areas it can no longer easily reach by ground. Civilians living under opposition control have consequently remained vulnerable despite being far from active front lines. [The wider conflict began after the military removed the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021](https://www.cfr.org/global-conflict-tracker/conflict/rohingya-crisis-myanmar?ref=theglobalvoice.com). The violent suppression of protests led pro-democracy activists to form armed resistance groups, which later built alliances with established ethnic armies. More than 8,000 civilians have reportedly been killed since the takeover, while about 3.6 million people have been displaced. Restrictions on roads, trade and humanitarian access have also deepened food shortages in Rakhine, where both the military and the Arakan Army have faced allegations of serious abuses. Monday’s bombing was among the deadliest recent attacks in Rakhine. [In December 2025, an airstrike on a hospital in Mrauk-U township killed at least 34 people and wounded about 80](https://newsonair.gov.in/at-least-34-killed-in-myanmar-hospital-air-strike/?ref=theglobalvoice.com). The latest deaths show how the struggle for control of the state is increasingly being fought from the air, with civilians bearing much of the cost.