At least 40 people, among them several children, were killed and more than 80 others wounded when an army paraglider dropped explosives on a crowd attending a festival and protest in central Myanmar on Monday, according to a spokesperson for the exiled National Unity Government who spoke to the BBC.
Hundreds of villagers had gathered in Chaung U township in the Sagaing region to mark the Thadingyut full moon festival when the military allegedly carried out the aerial bombing, a member of the organising committee told reporters.
The woman, who requested anonymity due to security concerns, explained that the gathering was intended as both a cultural celebration and an anti-junta protest.
Bombs From Sky
“The organisers warned people, and about a third of the crowd managed to escape,” she told AFP. “Then suddenly, a motor-powered paraglider flew directly above the assembly, releasing two bombs right into the heart of the crowd.”
She said organisers had been attempting to wrap up the demonstration early when the paramotors appeared sooner than expected. Moments later, explosions ripped through the area.
“I was still on the ground when the first bomb went off. It struck my knee, but all around me, people were dying,” the organiser recalled.
Local witnesses described scenes of devastation following the attack, with many victims’ bodies mutilated beyond recognition. “Children were completely blown apart,” another organiser told AFP.
Though she was not present when the bombs were dropped, she attended the funerals the next day and said that body parts were still being recovered from the site.
‘Disturbing Pattern’
Amnesty International denounced the assault and the military’s use of paramotors, describing it as part of a “disturbing pattern” of deliberate attacks on civilians by Myanmar’s armed forces.
According to BBC Burmese, the junta has increasingly turned to using paramotors for such strikes because of its dwindling access to aircraft and helicopters—a consequence of international sanctions curbing military imports.
The crowd had gathered not only to celebrate the religious festival but also to protest against the junta’s conscription law and the upcoming general elections.
Demonstrators also called for the release of Aung San Suu Kyi and other political detainees.
Myanmar is slated to hold general elections in December, the first since the military coup in 2021.
However, critics contend that the polls will be neither free nor fair, describing them instead as an attempt by the junta to legitimise and extend its rule.
(With inputs from IBNS)
