Dozens killed and wounded as hospital takes direct hit
An airstrike by Myanmar’s ruling military government struck a civilian hospital in Mrauk‑U Township, western Rakhine State, killing more than 30 people — including patients, caregivers and health workers — and injuring dozens more, aid workers and witnesses said. The attack on 10 December 2025 flattened much of the medical facility in a region long wracked by conflict and came as the junta intensifies its offensive ahead of controversial elections later this month.
Local rescue officials reported that at least 33 people were killed in the strike and 70–80 others were wounded, though both numbers could rise as rescue crews continue to scour the rubble. Eyewitnesses said the hospital was packed with patients, many of them displaced by fighting, when the bombs struck late Wednesday evening.
“The hospital was completely destroyed,” said Khine Thu Kha, a spokesperson for the Arakan Army, an ethnic Rakhine armed group controlling much of the state. “The high number of casualties occurred because the hospital took a direct hit.”
Casualties and devastation at a lifeline medical centre
Images and accounts from the scene depict a scene of devastation: collapsed walls, destroyed wards and operating rooms, and bodies laid out on the ground outside the wrecked compound. Residents and health workers scrambled to evacuate surviving patients to safer locations while tending to the wounded amid a chaotic immediate aftermath.
Aid worker Wai Hun Aung, on the ground in Mrauk‑U, described the situation as “very terrible,” noting that the facility — a key provider of emergency, surgical and obstetric care — was overwhelmed with injured civilians even before the attack.
According to reports from international humanitarian organisations, including Médecins Sans Frontières, the strike on the hospital may be the deadliest documented attack on a healthcare facility in Myanmar since the military seized power in 2021. MSF said the attack killed civilians — including healthcare staff and patients — and severely restricted access to already scarce medical care across the conflict‑torn region.
Conflict context — intensifying air campaign and looming elections
The strike occurred amid a dramatic escalation of air operations by the Myanmar military, known as the Tatmadaw, which has increased bombardments in rebel‑held and contested areas over the course of 2025. According to conflict monitors, the junta conducted more airstrikes through November than during all of 2024, reflecting a broader offensive to regain territory from numerous ethnic and pro‑democracy armed groups.
Myanmar has been engulfed in civil war since the military ousted a democratically elected government in February 2021 and violently suppressed nationwide protests. Armed resistance groups, including the Arakan Army in Rakhine State, have controlled large swaths of territory and continue to battle government forces on multiple fronts.
The junta has set national elections for 28 December 2025, presenting the vote as a step toward peace and a return to constitutional order. However, independent observers, ousted lawmakers and many opposition groups dismiss the polls as a sham, arguing that they aim to consolidate military rule under a veneer of legitimacy. Rebel groups have vowed to disrupt the vote in areas under their control.
International outrage and calls for accountability
The airstrike drew swift condemnation from international figures and organisations. United Nations rights chief Volker Türk described the attack in “the strongest possible terms” and warned that such strikes on medical facilities may constitute a war crime, urging investigations and accountability. He called for an immediate halt to violence and respect for international humanitarian law.
The World Health Organization’s director‑general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said he was “appalled” by the attack, noting that it was one in a disturbing pattern of verified assaults on healthcare infrastructure in Myanmar. “Every attack on health care is an attack on humanity,” he wrote on social media, underscoring the broader crisis facing civilians caught in the conflict.
A United Nations spokesperson also highlighted the broader humanitarian toll of the ongoing fighting, warning that millions in Myanmar face “soaring” needs for aid and protection — with millions displaced and crucial services collapsing under the strain of conflict and repeated attacks.
Human toll and local trauma
The human cost of the strike has been profound. Survivors described scenes of panic as residents rushed to evacuate patients and carry the wounded from the blast zone, while families searched desperately for missing loved ones amid twisted concrete and scattered medical equipment. Local villagers reported hearing a loud explosion just hours after international condemnation of violence marking International Human Rights Day.
“Many of those killed were lying in their beds when the bombs hit,” one witness said, underscoring the civilian nature of the casualties. Emergency responders have struggled to reach more remote parts of the destroyed facility, complicating efforts to recover bodies and provide urgent care to the injured.
Broader implications — health systems under siege
The destruction of Mrauk‑U General Hospital not only marks a tragic loss of life, but also a severe blow to the region’s fragile healthcare system. Hospitals in Rakhine State and across Myanmar have been repeatedly damaged or forced to suspend operations due to conflict, leaving civilians with scant access to medical care when they need it most.
Humanitarian organisations warn that the loss of one of the few operational hospitals in the area will leave civilians without essential services, including emergency care, maternal health support, and treatment for chronic conditions — further deepening the humanitarian crisis wrought by the civil war.
