At least 40 people have been killed and around 80 wounded after a motorised paraglider dropped bombs on a crowd gathered for a candlelight vigil and Thadingyut full moon festival in Chaung U township, Myanmar.
The attack, which occurred Monday evening during a national holiday, targeted both festival-goers and protesters opposing the military government.
Hundreds had gathered when the paraglider, capable of carrying up to three soldiers, dropped two bombs on the crowd. Organizers said early warnings allowed about a third of people to escape, but many victims, including children, were killed or seriously injured.
A member of the committee responsible for the organization of the event said, “As of this morning, we were still collecting body parts from the ground — pieces of flesh, limbs, parts of bodies that were blown apart.”
A protester who attended the festival told Reuters, “Initially, I thought the whole lower part of my body had been severed. I touched it and I realized the legs are still there,” as per the Independent. “This is mass murder. They are committing it openly,” the person, who wanted to remain anonymous, added.
“The death toll may rise, as some people’s bodies were so badly damaged by the bomb blast that they are difficult to recognise,” a spokesperson for Amnesty told The Independent. “Survivors are now being treated in local hospitals. Among the dead and injured are children, students and people in their 50s.”
He added: “Activists involved in organising the event were also said to be among the casualties. There were no clashes or fighting in the village where this took place. This was an attack on civilians that should be investigated as a war crime, one among many occurring in Myanmar on a routine basis.”
The attack occurred in Chaung U township, located in Myanmar’s Sagaing region—a key battleground in the country’s ongoing civil war, Metro reported.
According to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project, paramotors were first used in the area in December 2024 and have since become increasingly common in military operations, as per The Independent.
Since the army seized power in 2021, thousands have been killed and millions displaced as armed resistance groups and ethnic militias fight back. Although the military had previously lost control of more than half the country, it has recently begun regaining territory.
Much of the Sagaing region is now under the control of volunteer militias known as the People’s Defence Force (PDF), which also manages local governance. According to the BBC, the PDF tried to disperse the crowd after receiving warnings about a potential attack. The military junta’s increasing use of motorised paragliders comes as international sanctions have restricted its access to planes, helicopters, and other equipment.
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