BANGKOK: At least 24 people, including children, were killed and over 50 injured in a paraglider bombing attack carried out by Myanmar’s military late Monday night, according to local resistance fighters, villagers, and media reports.
The strike targeted Bon To village in Myanmar’s Sagaing region, where residents were gathered for a Buddhist festival that also included a peaceful protest rally calling for the release of political prisoners. The attack reportedly involved a motorised paraglider that dropped two bombs around 7:15 p.m., causing widespread devastation.
Local resistance sources estimate the death toll could be between 20 and 40, as casualties continue to be counted. Victims included civilians, political activists, and members of anti-junta armed groups.
Attack from the Air
The strike marked a disturbing escalation in the junta’s ongoing air campaign against resistance-held areas. A resistance fighter, speaking on condition of anonymity, said villagers had tracked the incoming aircraft via mobile phone alerts and walkie-talkies after it was launched from the military’s northwestern command in Monywa, approximately 25 km north of Bon To village.
“It was sudden. People were celebrating a festival and gathering peacefully when the bombs dropped,” said one villager.
The area, about 90 kilometers west of Mandalay, is under the control of anti-junta resistance forces, which have been steadily expanding influence since the military coup in February 2021, when the army overthrew the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi.
Human Rights Groups Condemn Attack
The massacre has drawn sharp international condemnation. Amnesty International described the incident as a grim reminder of the suffering civilians continue to face under Myanmar’s military regime.
“The sickening reports emerging from central Myanmar following this nighttime attack should serve as a gruesome wake-up call — civilians in Myanmar need urgent protection,” the group said in a statement.
This latest strike adds to a growing list of atrocities committed by the military, which has increasingly turned to aerial attacks, including airstrikes, drones, and now paragliders, to target resistance-held territories and break civilian morale.
The civil war, now in its third year, has displaced hundreds of thousands and plunged much of Myanmar into a humanitarian crisis. Despite mounting casualties and condemnation, the junta continues its campaign against dissent with little restraint.
