Bangkok: At least 24 civilians, including several children, were killed and more than 50 injured after Myanmar’s military reportedly carried out an airstrike using a motorised paraglider on a village in the central Sagaing region, according to local resistance members, residents, and media reports.
The assault took place on the night of October 7 in Bon To village, located about 90 kilometres west of Mandalay.
Witnesses said the attack targeted villagers who had gathered at a local school compound to celebrate the end of Buddhist Lent with an oil-lamp ceremony and to demand the release of political prisoners, including detained leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
A member of a local resistance group who attended the event said two bombs were dropped around 7:15 pm, striking the crowd and killing between 20 and 40 people on the spot.
Among the dead were children, villagers, and members of local activist and anti-junta groups. Over 50 others sustained injuries.
The fighter, who spoke to media on condition of anonymity, said that an alert had been issued moments before the strike after the paraglider was tracked from the army’s northwestern command in Monywa, roughly 25 kilometres away.
Despite the warning, many people were still gathered when the explosives were released.
Another witness said the paraglider returned around 11 pm and dropped two more bombs, though no further casualties were reported.
Rescue workers and family members recovered bodies through the night, with fears that the death toll could rise.
Human rights organisation Amnesty International condemned the strike, calling it “a gruesome wake-up call” and urging immediate international action to protect civilians caught in Myanmar’s escalating conflict.
Myanmar has been mired in civil war since the military seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021.
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The Sagaing region, a stronghold of anti-junta resistance forces, has witnessed repeated attacks by the military.
Observers note that while the junta has relied heavily on combat aircraft and helicopters, it has increasingly turned to low-cost, motorised paragliders for air assaults in recent months.
Rights groups estimate that over 7,000 civilians have been killed by Myanmar’s security forces since the coup.
