Bangkok: Myanmar’s military has been accused of carrying out a deadly airstrike using a motorised paraglider, killing at least 24 people, including children and injuring more than 50 others during a Buddhist festival in the conflict-ridden Sagaing region.

According to reports from villagers, local media, and a member of a resistance group, the attack took place on Monday night in Bon To village, around 90 kilometres west of Mandalay. The village, which is under the control of anti-junta resistance forces, was hosting a celebration to mark the end of Buddhist Lent, as well as a peaceful rally calling for the release of political prisoners, including ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

“The sickening reports emerging from the ground in central Myanmar following a nighttime attack late on Monday should serve as a gruesome wake-up call that civilians in Myanmar need urgent protection,” said Amnesty International in a statement.

Over 100 people from Bon To and surrounding villages had gathered at the local primary school for an oil lamp lighting ceremony when the paraglider appeared shortly after 7 p.m. Witnesses said it dropped two bombs on the crowd, killing between 20 and 40 people and wounding more than 50 others.

A resistance fighter who was present at the event said the attack targeted villagers, local activists, and members of anti-military armed groups. Speaking to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity, he confirmed he was among those injured. He said a warning had been circulated via a network of walkie-talkies and mobile phones, tracking the paraglider from the military’s northwestern command in Monywa—approximately 25 kilometres north—but the strike came quicker than anticipated.

A resident who attended the ceremony said the crowd began to scatter after hearing warnings about the approaching aircraft. However, the bombs were dropped while many were still gathered inside the school compound.

The same resident, who later assisted in rescue operations, confirmed that at least 24 people were killed, though the true number could be higher as families and volunteers retrieved bodies independently.

Both eyewitnesses reported that the paraglider returned to the area around 11 p.m. and dropped two more bombs. Fortunately, no further casualties were reported from the second strike.

The military junta has not acknowledged the incident, consistent with its pattern of silence following attacks on civilian areas. Since the military’s February 2021 coup that removed Suu Kyi’s elected government, Myanmar has plunged into a nationwide civil war, with resistance forces gaining control over large parts of the country, including Sagaing region.

According to figures compiled by non-governmental organisations, more than 7,300 people have been killed by security forces since the coup.