Airstrike by Myanmar's junta kills dozens at hospital in Rakhine

Dozens of people have been killed in a military strike on a hospital in Rakhine state, according to an aid worker, a rebel group, a civilian witness and local media reports, as Myanmar's junta wages a withering offensive before elections set to begin at the end of this month.

- Guardian staff

"The situation is very terrible," said an onsite aid worker, Wai Hun Aung. "As for now, we can confirm there are 31 deaths and we think there will be more deaths. Also there are 68 wounded and there will be more."

The hospital in Rakhine's Mrauk U township was struck late on Wednesday by bombs dropped from a military aircraft, said Khine Thu Kha, a spokesman for the Arakan Army (AA), which is battling the ruling junta in the coastal state.

"The Mrauk U general hospital was completely destroyed," Khine Thu Kha told Reuters. "The high number of casualties occurred because the hospital took a direct hit."

A junta spokesperson did not respond to calls for comment.

The UN high commissioner for human rights, Volker Türk, said such attacks may amount to a war crime and called for an investigation. A spokesperson for the US state department called the reports "disturbing".