A bombing at a Buddhist festival in Myanmar’s Sagaing region resulted in at least 40 deaths and 80 injuries, according to reports from human rights groups and officials in exile. The attack took place on Monday, October 6, 2025, during a candlelight vigil in Chaung-U Township, where around 100 people gathered for the Thadingyut full moon ceremony, a significant Buddhist celebration.
The attack began at approximately 8:00 p.m. local time when Myanmar’s military junta used motorized paragliders to drop bombs on the assembly. A subsequent attack occurred around 11:00 p.m., leaving the area in ruins, as described by witnesses. The vigil was held to oppose military rule, demand the release of detained individuals, oppose military conscription, and criticize a junta-planned election set for December.
Joe Freeman, Myanmar Researcher for Amnesty International, noted that the number of casualties might increase due to the difficulty in identifying victims severely affected by the blasts. Survivors are receiving medical care in local hospitals, including children, students, and middle-aged individuals.
A representative for Myanmar’s government-in-exile informed BBC Burmese that 47 individuals were injured. The official mentioned that there were warnings of a possible airborne attack, leading organizers to try dispersing attendees, but the motorized paraglider appeared shortly thereafter. The entire attack spanned about seven minutes, during which the official sustained leg injuries.
An event organizer shared details with AFP, describing the devastating impact on children caught in the explosion. She stated that authorities were still collecting remains after the bombing. Funerals for those identified were conducted on Tuesday, October 7, while some bodies remain unidentified due to the severity of the damage.
The area targeted in Chaung-U Township is within the Sagaing Region, controlled by anti-government militias known as the People’s Defence Force. These groups actively resist the military junta, which took control of Myanmar in a February 2021 coup.
Freeman characterized the attack as part of a concerning pattern, noting that children were “brutally torn apart.” He emphasized the need for civilian protection in Myanmar and highlighted the military’s exploitation of waning international focus to commit atrocities without consequence, continuing to endanger civilian lives through various means, including motorized paragliders.
The researcher indicated that this incident is the latest in a series of attacks since the 2021 military coup, nearly five years ago. Freeman emphasized that there were no conflicts in the village during the attack, marking it as a deliberate assault on civilians warranting investigation as a potential war crime.
Freeman urged the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to pressure the junta to cease these alleged violent attacks on civilians. He pointed out that, as the military aims to consolidate power through an upcoming controlled election, it is intensifying its campaign against resistance groups.
The Amnesty International researcher also called for the UN Security Council to refer Myanmar’s situation to the International Criminal Court. The military junta has not released any statements regarding the bombing, maintaining silence typical after such incidents involving civilian targets.
Since the military’s seizure of power in February 2021, which ousted the democratically elected government, Myanmar has been engulfed in unrest and conflict. The Sagaing region has become a hub for resistance against military rule, resulting in frequent violence and retaliatory actions by junta forces against civilians.
The bombing represents a further escalation in the military’s efforts against resistance-controlled areas, with human rights organizations documenting numerous attacks on civilian gatherings and events throughout the country since the coup nearly four years ago.
