At least 26 civilians were killed and 19 others injured in airstrikes carried out by Myanmar’s ruling military junta in the country’s western and northwestern regions, according to local media reports cited by AFP on Wednesday. In the western Rakhine State, 17 civilians, including women and children, were killed and 14 injured when airstrikes hit Yoengu village near Ponnagyun town, about 33 kilometers northeast of the state capital Sittwe.

A resident of Ponnagyun said some of the injured were in critical condition, raising fears that the death toll could rise. In a separate attack in the northwestern Sagaing region, nine civilians, including two children, were killed and five others injured when military paramotors dropped three bombs on a site where locals were reportedly using Starlink devices for internet access.

Since the military coup in February 2021, clashes between the junta and ethnic armed groups have intensified. Human rights organizations report that more than 6,000 people have been killed and about three million displaced since the coup.