A tragic paramotor attack in central Myanmar has left at least 24 people dead and 47 others injured after bombs were dropped on a Buddhist festival and protest in Chaung U township on Monday evening. The incident occurred during the Thadingyut festival a national Buddhist holiday which also served as a candlelight vigil against the military junta’s rule.
According to the exiled National Unity Government (NUG), the attack took place as around 100 people gathered to celebrate and protest against the junta’s oppressive policies, including military conscription and the upcoming December elections. A spokesperson told BBC Burmese that two bombs were dropped from a motor-powered paraglider, killing civilians instantly and causing widespread destruction.
Witnesses described scenes of horror, with one survivor recounting how the bombs exploded within minutes of arrival. “When the first bomb dropped, I fell to the ground, but it hit my knee. There were people killed beside me,” one protester said. Another witness told AFP that the explosion was so severe that “children were completely torn apart,” making it difficult to identify bodies.
Amnesty International condemned the attack, calling it part of a “disturbing trend” by Myanmar’s junta, which has increasingly used paramotors amid aircraft shortages caused by international sanctions. Joe Freeman, Amnesty’s Myanmar researcher, urged ASEAN to “increase pressure on the junta and revise an approach that has failed the Myanmar people for almost five years.”
Since the 2021 military coup that ousted Aung San Suu Kyi’s elected government, Myanmar has been gripped by a brutal civil war that has killed more than 5,000 civilians, according to UN estimates. Monday’s attack underscores the junta’s escalating tactics and the urgent need for international intervention to protect Myanmar’s war-torn communities.
