A devastating bomb attack by the Myanmar military has reportedly killed at least 40 people and injured at least 80 others, including several children, after the junta targeted an anti-junta protest organized during a Buddhist festival in a central Myanmar town.
The French news agency AFP reported the details on Tuesday (October 7).
According to the report, the attack occurred on Monday evening in the central town of Chaung-U, where a gathering for the traditional Buddhist Thadingyut Full Moon festival was also hosting an anti-junta demonstration.
A female member of the organizing committee, who spoke on condition of anonymity for security reasons, stated that hundreds of people had gathered in Chaung-U for the festival. When participants began protesting against the military regime, the armed forces dropped bombs on the demonstrators.
"Around 7 pm on Monday, two bombs were dropped during the festival and the anti-junta protest, killing at least 40 people and injuring 80 others," she said.
She explained that committee members had warned people about a potential attack, which allowed about a third of the attendees to flee. However, shortly after, a motorized paraglider flew over and dropped two bombs on the event site.
"The bodies of the children were torn to pieces by the bombs," the woman tragically recounted. "We were collecting fragments of human bodies, pieces of flesh, and limbs scattered around the blast site until Tuesday morning."
Another Chaung-U resident who was present at the Monday event confirmed the death toll, saying that people began running when they saw the paraglider overhead, and that's when the two bombs were dropped.
"Two of my comrades died right in front of me. Many more were killed before my eyes," he told AFP, also requesting anonymity.
Local Myanmar media outlets have also confirmed the death of 40 people in the military junta's attack. However, AFP noted that no spokesperson for Myanmar's junta government had commented on the attack as of Tuesday night.
A civil war has raged in Myanmar since the military seized power in a coup in 2021. Pro-democracy forces, in alliance with various ethnic armed organizations, are fighting against the military regime.
The junta government has announced that national elections will be held on December 28, stating that the polls will pave the way for national reconciliation. However, rebel groups have already threatened to disrupt the election, denouncing it as a sham.
