The number of fatalities from the airstrike carried out by the military council on Tharyar Tapan village, Kyauktaw Township, Rakhine State, has risen to 23, according to local sources. Five more bodies were recovered following the attack, which took place shortly after 1 a.m. today.
Witnesses said the military council dropped two 500-pound bombs from the air, striking a private high school in Tharyar Tapan. Among the victims were students and children, bringing the death toll to at least 23.
A local resident reported that several injured individuals remain in critical condition while receiving emergency treatment.
“Many of those murdered were students. There are still children in serious condition. Words cannot express the pain we are experiencing right now,” the resident said.
The attack occurred in an area without any active fighting. Locals believe the military deliberately targeted the school to cause civilian casualties.
This follows a similar incident on August 25, when the military carried out an airstrike on Dain Gyi ward in Mrauk-U town—an area under the control of the Arakan Army—resulting in the deaths of 14 civilians and injuries to 20 others.
Meanwhile, pro-military lobby groups continue to spread propaganda online, claiming that the bombed school in Kyauk Taw was in fact a military training school, not a civilian educational institution.
