CHAUNG U, Myanmar — A deadly airborne attack during a Buddhist full moon festival in central Myanmar killed at least 40 people and injured more than 80 others on Monday evening, when a motorized paraglider dropped bombs on a large crowd gathered for a vigil and protest against the ruling military junta, according to local officials and witnesses.
The attack struck Chaung U township in the Sagaing region around 7 p.m. local time, as hundreds gathered to celebrate the Thadingyut full moon festival while also staging a peaceful protest against the junta’s military conscription policies and calling for the release of political prisoners, including ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
Witnesses and organizers said a paraglider flew over the festival and dropped multiple bombs onto the crowd. One organizer, who asked to remain anonymous for security reasons, said roughly a third of those in attendance managed to flee after receiving warnings, but many victims, including children, were “completely torn apart” by the blasts.
“As of this morning, we were still collecting body parts from the ground — pieces of flesh, limbs, parts of bodies that were blown apart,” the organizer told AFP. Survivors described horrific scenes as rescuers scrambled to help the wounded and recover remains amid debris and candlelight.
Local People’s Defence Force (PDF) groups, which control large parts of Sagaing, said they had received intelligence about a potential airborne attack and tried to disperse the gathering quickly. However, the paramotors arrived earlier than expected, unleashing devastating explosions within minutes.
The National Unity Government, Myanmar’s government-in-exile, confirmed the death toll and said 47 others were wounded.
The Sagaing region has become one of the fiercest battlegrounds since Myanmar’s military seized power in a February 2021 coup, sparking a nationwide armed rebellion. Thousands have been killed and millions displaced in ongoing clashes between junta forces, ethnic militias, and the PDF.
Amnesty International condemned the attack, calling it part of a “disturbing trend” of the military’s increasing use of motorized paragliders for bombing operations. International sanctions have limited the junta’s access to aircraft and helicopters, but it has adapted by deploying paragliders and drones, reportedly supplied with advanced technology from China and Russia.
Joe Freeman, Amnesty International’s Myanmar researcher, called the bombing a “gruesome wake-up call,” urging the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to intensify pressure on the junta ahead of its upcoming meeting. “This is a blatant attack on civilians during a peaceful gathering,” Freeman said.
Myanmar is scheduled to hold general elections in December, the first since the coup. Opposition groups and international observers doubt the credibility of the upcoming vote, warning that the military will maintain control regardless of the outcome.
The Chaung U bombing underscores the junta’s growing reliance on unconventional airborne tactics and highlights the intensifying brutality of Myanmar’s civil war. Human rights organizations say the attack further illustrates the urgent need for stronger international action to protect civilians trapped in the conflict.
Source: metro.co
