At least 24 killed in Myanmar Buddhist festival bombing

A paramotor attack on a festival and protest in central Myanmar has killed at least 24 people and wounded 47 others, a spokesperson from the exiled National Unity Government told the BBC.

Around 100 people had gathered at Chaung U township on Monday evening for the Thadingyut festival – a national holiday with Buddhist roots – when a motor-powered paraglider dropped two bombs over the crowd, a local official under the anti-junta People’s Defence Force said.

The event was also a candlelight vigil protesting junta policies.

Myanmar has been at civil war since its military seized power in a 2021 coup. The UN estimates that the conflict has killed more than 5,000 civilians.