Ten aid workers including some UN staff have been detained in western Myanmar in the wake of deadly communal unrest, the body said yesterday, as rights groups warned of mass detentions of Muslims in the restive area.

In a bulletin on the situation in violence-wracked Rakhine state, the UN said humanitarian staff have been held for "questioning" — adding that Myanmar's government has failed to respond to queries about those detained.

More than 80 people were killed in a wave of communal violence between ethnic Buddhist Rakhine and Muslim Rohingya which swept the state in June, forcing tens of thousands to flee as homes were torched and communities ripped apart.

A state of emergency is still in force over several areas and Human Rights Watch alleged some within Myanmar's security forces have carried out "mass round-ups" and other abuses on Muslim communities.