At least 24 people were killed and 47 others injured after a paramotor dropped bombs on a Buddhist festival and protest gathering in central Myanmar on Monday evening, according to a spokesperson for the country’s exiled National Unity Government (NUG).
The incident occurred in Chaung-U, where around 100 people had gathered to celebrate the traditional Thadingyut Festival—a major Buddhist holiday that also featured a candlelight vigil in protest of the ruling junta’s policies.
Citing a local official from the anti-junta People’s Defense Force (PDF), the BBC reported that two bombs were dropped from a motorized paraglider directly into the crowd. Witnesses described scenes of devastation, saying the impact was so severe that identifying bodies became difficult.
One attendee told reporters that the attack happened within minutes of the event starting: “They came within seven minutes and dropped the bombs. When the first one hit, I fell to the ground. People beside me died instantly.”
According to locals, children were among the dead. A woman who assisted in organizing the festival told a Paris-based outlet that she attended the funerals on Tuesday and that recovery of bodies was still ongoing.
In a statement on Tuesday, Amnesty International condemned the junta’s use of motorized paragliders in attacks, calling it a “deeply alarming trend.” The rights organization noted that such lightweight aircraft allow attackers to strike quickly at close range and escape before being detected.
The BBC reported that Myanmar’s military has increasingly turned to paramotor-style assaults amid shortages of aircraft and helicopters, worsened by years of international sanctions restricting access to military equipment.
“This attack should serve as an urgent reminder of the need to protect Myanmar’s civilians,” said Joe Freeman, Amnesty International’s Myanmar researcher. He urged the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to rethink its approach to Myanmar ahead of its upcoming meeting later this month.
The candlelight gathering targeted in the attack was also a demonstration against the junta’s plan for mandatory military conscription and the upcoming December general elections—the first since the military seized power in 2021. Protesters demanded the release of Aung San Suu Kyi and other political prisoners.
Critics, however, say the planned election is unlikely to be free or fair, warning that it will instead serve to further entrench the junta’s power as the country’s civil conflict deepens.
