At least 40 people, including children, died when Myanmar’s military bombed a festival and protest gathering in Chaung U township on Monday evening. Around 7:00 pm, hundreds of people had come together for the Thadingyut full moon festival, which also included an anti-junta demonstration.
A local committee member said the military used motor-powered paragliders to drop two bombs directly into the crowd. One-third of the people managed to escape before the attack, but many others were trapped. “Children were completely torn apart,” she recalled, adding that on Tuesday they were still collecting body parts from the ground.
A resident who attended the event described how panic broke out as the paramotor hovered overhead. “Two of my comrades were killed right in front of me,” he said. He later attended funerals for nine of his friends.
Around 80 people were also injured, and survivors rushed to help the wounded once the aircraft left. Local media confirmed the death toll.
Amnesty International condemned the attack, calling it proof of the junta’s “brutal campaign” against civilians. The group urged the international community and ASEAN to step up pressure, warning that Myanmar’s military is carrying out war crimes with impunity.
