Paraglider bomb attack on festival kills 40, including children

At least 40 people were killed and dozens more injured after a paraglider dropped explosives over a full moon festival in Myanmar’s Sagaing region.

The attack occurred around 7 p.m. local time on Monday during celebrations for the Thadingyut festival, which coincided with an anti-junta protest. Hundreds had gathered in Chaung U township when the paraglider appeared overhead and began dropping bombs.

An organizer, who spoke anonymously for security reasons, said roughly 80 people were wounded. Some attendees managed to flee after warnings were issued, but many victims — including children — were killed instantly.

“Even this morning, we were still collecting body parts,” the organizer told AFP.

Sagaing has been one of the main fronts in Myanmar’s civil conflict, which erupted after the military seized power in 2021. Armed resistance groups and ethnic militias control large parts of the region, though the army has recently regained ground.

With sanctions restricting access to aircraft, the junta has increasingly turned to paragliders and drones supplied by allies such as Russia and China.

Monday’s candlelit gathering was meant to peacefully protest military conscription, the planned national election, and to demand the release of detained leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

Since the coup, thousands have been killed and nearly 30,000 arrested, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners. The junta denies deliberately targeting civilians, insisting it is fighting “terrorists.”