Myanmar Festival Horror: Paraglider Bomb Attack Kills 40, Injures 80 During Thadingyut Celebrations

Chaung U, Myanmar: A devastating aerial bombing during Myanmar’s Thadingyut full moon festival has left at least 40 people dead and around 80 injured in what witnesses describe as one of the most brutal attacks in recent months.

The tragedy unfolded in Chaung U township on Monday evening (October 6), when a paraglider reportedly dropped explosives on a crowd gathered for the festival and an accompanying anti-junta demonstration. Eyewitnesses and local organisers alleged that the country’s military forces were behind the strike.

“The committee alerted people and one-third of the crowd managed to flee. But immediately, one motor-powered paraglider flew right over the crowd, dropping two bombs on the centre of the gathering,”
said a member of the organising committee, speaking anonymously to AFP.

The explosions tore through the festival site, scattering debris and leaving a scene of horror. Witnesses reported seeing children among the dead.

“Children were completely torn apart,” one organiser said, recounting the aftermath.

Local volunteers rushed in to rescue survivors and collect remains. “As of this morning, we were still collecting body parts from the ground — pieces of flesh, limbs, parts of bodies that were blown apart,” she added.

A local resident described the chaos and loss:

“While I was telling people ‘please don’t run’, the paramotor dropped two bombs. Two of my comrades were killed right in front of me.”

He said he later attended funerals for nine friends who had died in the blast.

Myanmar has been in a state of civil conflict since the 2021 military coup, which ousted the democratically elected government. Since then, armed resistance groups have emerged across the country, and reports of attacks on civilian gatherings have increased sharply.

The incident has sparked renewed condemnation from international observers, who have called for an independent investigation into the use of aerial weapons on civilians.