A horrific airborne assault on a religious festival in Myanmar has left at least 40 people dead and 80 wounded, with survivors describing scenes of carnage as bombs exploded amongst crowds gathered for celebrations.
The deadly strike targeted hundreds of people assembled in Chaung U township for the Thadingyut full moon festival during the overnight hours. Witnesses report the attack continued for seven agonising minutes, with shrapnel tearing through the gathered crowd as explosives detonated on impact.
Children amongst those torn apart by explosions
A member of the organising committee, speaking anonymously for safety reasons, provided harrowing details of the assault’s aftermath. The woman explained that festival-goers were simultaneously participating in anti-military junta demonstrations when the bombing commenced.
“The committee alerted people, and one-third of the crowd managed to flee,” she recounted to AFP news agency. “But immediately, one motor-powered paraglider flew right over the crowd and dropped two bombs.”
Her description of the carnage painted a disturbing picture: “Children were completely torn apart. People are still collecting body parts from the ground, pieces of flesh, limbs, parts of bodies that were blown apart.”
Survivors watched friends die before their eyes
Another anonymous attendee, a local resident who survived the bombing, corroborated the death toll estimates whilst describing desperate attempts to escape as the paraglider circled overhead.
“Two of my comrades were killed just in front of me. There were even more who died in front of me,” he told reporters. The traumatised survivor later attended funeral ceremonies for nine friends who perished in the attack.
Local media outlets have confirmed the death toll of 40, though the true number may rise as rescue workers continue recovering remains and treating the critically injured.
Attack blamed on military forces
The bombing is widely believed to have been carried out by Myanmar’s ruling military junta, which has employed increasingly brutal tactics against civilian populations since seizing power through a coup d’état in 2021.
The military takeover sparked widespread resistance, with pro-democracy activists and ethnic armed groups forming coalitions to fight against the junta’s authoritarian rule. The country has since descended into a devastating civil war that has claimed thousands of lives and displaced millions from their homes.
Rights groups sound alarm over escalating violence
International human rights organisation Amnesty International issued a stark warning following the festival bombing, characterising it as evidence of the military’s “intensifying an already brutal campaign against pockets of resistance.
The organisation declared the attack “should serve as a gruesome wake-up call that civilians in Myanmar need urgent protection,” highlighting the vulnerability of ordinary people caught in the ongoing conflict.
Joe Freeman, Amnesty’s Myanmar researcher, accused the international community of turning a blind eye to the crisis. “The international community may have forgotten about the conflict in Myanmar, but the Myanmar military is taking advantage of reduced scrutiny to carry out war crimes with impunity,” Freeman stated.
Military regained ground after initial losses
Since the 2021 coup that toppled the democratically-elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar’s military initially lost control of approximately half the country to resistance forces. However, recent months have seen the junta make significant territorial gains through aggressive military campaigns.
The conflict has exacted a terrible humanitarian toll, with thousands killed and millions forced to flee their homes. Entire regions remain gripped by violence, with civilians bearing the brunt of military operations against resistance strongholds.
Controversial elections planned amid ongoing war
The military regime, under the leadership of General Min Aung Hlaing, has announced plans to hold general elections within two months. The junta claims the vote will restore civilian governance to the country.
However, critics and political analysts dismiss the planned election as a cynical exercise designed purely to provide a veneer of legitimacy to continued military rule. The vote will take place under conditions that make free and fair elections virtually impossible.
Experts warn the election could spark fresh waves of unrest and violence. Severe restrictions on media freedom, the absence of independent monitoring organisations, and large swathes of territory still embroiled in active combat create conditions ripe for manipulation and further conflict.
The international community faces mounting pressure to intervene as Myanmar’s humanitarian catastrophe deepens, though coordinated action has remained elusive amidst competing geopolitical interests in the region.
The Thadingyut festival bombing represents one of the deadliest single attacks on civilians since the coup, underscoring the military’s willingness to employ indiscriminate force against its own population in pursuit of absolute control.
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