A bombing at a Buddhist festival in Myanmar’s Sagaing region led to at least 40 fatalities and 80 injuries, according to human rights groups and officials in exile. The attack occurred during a candlelight vigil on Monday, October 6, 2025, as about 100 individuals gathered in Chaung-U Township for the Thadingyut full moon festival, an essential Buddhist celebration.
The incident began around 8:00 p.m. local time when Myanmar’s military junta deployed motorized paragliders to drop bombs on the crowd. A subsequent bombing took place around 11:00 p.m., causing significant damage. The vigil was organized to protest military rule, call for the release of detained prisoners, oppose military conscription, and criticize an election organized by the junta for December.
Joe Freeman, a researcher for Amnesty International focusing on Myanmar, indicated that the casualty count might rise due to the severe damage inflicted on some victims, complicating identification efforts. Survivors are receiving treatment at local hospitals, with those affected including children, students, and people in their fifties.
A spokesperson from Myanmar’s government-in-exile told BBC Burmese that 47 people were wounded in the attacks. The official mentioned that the event organizers had been cautioned about a potential airborne assault and attempted to disperse attendees quickly, but the motorized paraglider arrived within minutes. The attack lasted approximately seven minutes, during which the official sustained leg injuries.
A woman involved in organizing the event relayed details to the AFP news agency, describing the impact on children. She reported that authorities were still collecting body parts after the bombing. Funerals for some victims occurred on Tuesday, October 7, although several bodies remain unidentified due to the extent of the damage.
The targeted area in Chaung-U Township is within the Sagaing Region, which is controlled by anti-government militias known as the People’s Defence Force. These groups actively resist the military junta, which took power in 2021, leading to frequent violent confrontations and retaliatory actions against civilians by junta forces.
Freeman described the bombing as part of a concerning pattern, emphasizing the impact on children. He highlighted the necessity of civilian protection in Myanmar, pointing out that the military exploits diminishing global attention to commit acts of violence without repercussions. The use of motorized paragliders is among the tactics employed to target civilians.
The human rights researcher stated that this incident was the latest in a series of attacks ongoing since the 2021 coup. Freeman emphasized that there were no clashes in the village, identifying the bombing as a direct attack on civilians, warranting investigation as a war crime, amid numerous similar incidents in Myanmar.
Freeman urged the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to apply pressure on the junta to cease violent attacks on civilians in the area. He noted that the military is intensifying efforts to consolidate power through a tightly controlled election planned for later this year, while escalating its campaign against pockets of resistance.
The Amnesty International researcher also called on the UN Security Council to refer Myanmar’s situation to the International Criminal Court.
Since the military’s takeover in February 2021, overthrowing the elected leadership, Myanmar has faced ongoing unrest and conflict. The bombing marks the latest escalation in the military’s campaign against resistance-controlled areas. Human rights organizations have documented numerous attacks on civilian gatherings, religious ceremonies, and community events across the country since the coup nearly four years ago.
On December 11, 2025, Myanmar’s military carried out a devastating airstrike on Mrauk-U General Hospital in western Rakhine State, killing an estimated 30–34 people and injuring another 70–80. The 300-bed facility, already overflowing with patients, was struck by two 500-pound bombs that tore through wards filled with civilians and medical staff. The attack has intensified public shock and international concern, occurring just weeks before the country’s highly contentious December 28 elections.
The bombing forms part of a broader pattern of escalating violence as the junta prepares to stage polls widely denounced as illegitimate. Throughout November and December, global bodies including the UN and Human Rights Watch condemned the planned elections as a political façade, noting that major opposition parties—among them Aung San Suu Kyi’s dissolved National League for Democracy—have been barred from participating.
Military air operations surged sharply in 2025, with 2,165 airstrikes recorded between January and November, surpassing the total from all of 2024. Reports have also documented the repeated use of paragliders to deliver explosives. At the same time, a UN humanitarian update from November 17 confirmed significant casualties from the October Chaung-U bombing. It highlighted the displacement of more than 14,600 people in Chaung-U and Monywa townships since early October.