Junta nighttime airstrikes kill four civilians in Werathani

By Admin 21 Oct 2026

DMG Newsroom

21 October 2026, Werathani

Junta aerial attacks targeting urban wards and nearby villages in Werathani Township late on October 20 killed four civilians and injured four others, including a volunteer with the Pauktaw Social Assistance Association, according to local residents.

The military junta’s warplanes bombed wards in Werathani Town and Pyarthakywe and Zeechomaw villages shortly after 10:00 p.m., causing the casualties, residents said.

“The military junta launched airstrikes starting after 10:00 p.m. and continued bombing throughout the night,” a local resident in Werathani said. “The junta air attacks caused significant civilian casualties. At present, we have verified eight casualties, including deaths and injuries.”

The injured were identified as 14-year-old Maung Sit Nyein Naing, a volunteer with the Pauktaw Social Assistance Association; 53-year-old U Ba Tha; 40-year-old U Maung San Yu; and 34-year-old Daw Khin Yin Nu.

The four people killed were identified as 41-year-old U Nay Win Oo and 26-year-old Ma Khin Oo from Pyarthakywe Village, along with two residents of Zeechomaw Village whose identities were not immediately available.

Civilian casualties continue to mount in Werathani Township amid intensified junta airstrikes and heavy artillery shelling.

“As junta airstrikes are happening daily, we are actively conducting rescue operations to assist injured civilians,” said Ko Aung Phyo Way, chairman of the Pauktaw Social Assistance Association. “During rescue missions, we must remain constantly vigilant against secondary air attacks. Additionally, our association faces severe ambulance shortages, and when private vehicle rentals are unavailable, emergency patient transfers are dangerously delayed.”

On the same day, junta forces also launched repeated airstrikes against the Darkaing and Peinhnechaung mountain ranges and Ngapyi Island in Werathani Township, as well as locations in neighbouring Ponnagyun Township.

An earlier junta airstrike on Hsin Ai Village in Werathani Township on October 10 killed seven civilians and injured more than 10 others, according to previous reports.

Fierce clashes continue between junta forces and the Arakan Army (AA) on Ngapyi Island along the Sittwe and Werathani border. Junta naval vessels continue to bombard the conflict zone with heavy artillery, according to local reports.