A Myanmar military airstrike on a festival and protest gathering killed at least 40 people, including children, in the country’s central Chaung U township, according to witnesses and local organizers.
The attack took place on the evening of October 6 during the Thadingyut full moon festival, when hundreds of people had gathered for the celebration and an anti-junta demonstration. A committee member said the military dropped bombs on the crowd using motorized paragliders, leaving more than 40 dead and around 80 injured.
“Children were completely torn apart,” said one organizer, who described the aftermath as horrific, with locals collecting body parts the following morning. A resident who attended the event said, “Two of my comrades were killed right in front of me.”
Local media also reported that 40 people were killed in the strike, while funerals for victims were held the next day. The junta has not commented on the incident.
Myanmar has been engulfed in civil war since the 2021 military coup, which sparked armed resistance by pro-democracy groups and ethnic militias.
Amnesty International condemned the bombing, calling it “a gruesome wake-up call that civilians in Myanmar need urgent protection.” The organization said the military was intensifying its “brutal campaign” against resistance groups while exploiting the world’s waning attention.
“The Myanmar military is committing war crimes with impunity,” said Joe Freeman, Amnesty’s Myanmar researcher, urging the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to step up pressure on the junta.
The junta has announced elections for December 28, claiming they are part of a reconciliation process. However, UN experts have dismissed the polls as a “fraud,” and rebel groups have vowed to block them as fighting continues across the country.
