Children among the dozens dead in Myanmar drone hit

Families with children were among those killed in a drone attack on Rohingya people fleeing Myanmar, witnesses have reported. The Rohingya are a mostly Muslim minority facing severe persecution in the country.

- ARPAN RAI

The attack is reported to have occurred last Monday, in Rakhine state near the border with Bangladesh. The strike killed a heavily pregnant woman and her two-year-old daughter, while survivors were seen identifying their dead and injured relatives at the site, which was littered with piles of bodies, according to Reuters.

Activists, a diplomat and four other witnesses confirmed the attack on families trying to cross the Myanmar border into Bangladesh. This is the worst attack on civilians in Rakhine state in recent weeks, with fierce fighting between rebels and troops of the military junta currently in control of Myanmar.

According to three witnesses, the Arakan Army, one of several armed groups currently fighting in the country, was responsible. The militia group has rejected this. Myanmar has been in turmoil since the junta seized power from a democratically elected government in 2021, with mass protests evolving into widespread armed struggle.