NEW DELHI: Aerial bombs dropped from one or more motorised paragliders strike a crowd gathered for a Buddhist monastery festival and candlelight vigil in the Sagaing region late on Oct. 6 (local reports), leaving scores dead and dozens injured.
Local committees and some media put the death toll as high as 40 and the injured near 80, while other major outlets report between 18 and 32 fatalities as authorities and rights groups continue to verify numbers.
What happened on Oct. 6-7, 2025
Eyewitnesses say a crowd of roughly 100 people (monks, families and villagers) had gathered for a Thadingyut/Lighting Festival event that also included a brief rally calling for the release of political prisoners.
At about 7pm local time a motorised paraglider — a fan-driven paramotor aircraft — flew over and dropped one or more small bombs onto the compound, followed by at least one later strike.
Survivors describe instant devastation, bodies and body parts strewn across the ground, and many of the wounded rushed to nearby clinics.
Casualties
- Several local resistance committees and some regional outlets report about 40 dead and roughly 80 wounded. These figures are being cited on social media and by some local media channels.
- International wire agencies and major broadcasters report lower but still severe tolls: Reuters and AP place deaths between 20–24 with dozens injured; other outlets report 32 fatalities. Journalists note the death toll may rise because some bodies are badly disfigured and identification is difficult.
Because access to the strike site is tightly restricted and communications are fragmented in war-affected Sagaing, independent verification is limited.
The range of figures reflects the fluidity and the difficulty humanitarian monitors face on the ground.
Who is blamed
Multiple reports and witnesses attribute the attack to Myanmar’s armed forces (the junta).
Rights groups say the military has increasingly deployed low-cost paramotors and motorised paragliders to carry out targeted strikes against areas it accuses of sheltering resistance fighters — a tactic that dramatically raises risks to civilians.
The junta has not issued a public acknowledgement or explanation for this incident.
Pattern of paramotor strikes
Since the 2021 coup, the military has escalated against opposition strongholds in central and northern Myanmar.
Paragliders and motorised paramotors have appeared repeatedly as a low-cost aerial option for the junta, enabling strikes where larger aircraft or artillery would be more visible or politically costly.
Analysts say the tactic is part of a broader intensification of aerial attacks in contested regions like Sagaing.
What remains unclear
- Exact casualty numbers and the identity of all victims remain unconfirmed by independent monitors.
- The full sequence of events (how many paragliders, number/type of munitions dropped) and whether the festival site was deliberately targeted as a political rally remain under investigation.
On the ground
Local medical facilities report an influx of blast-injured patients; some hospitals face shortages of blood and surgical supplies.
Villagers report fear of further strikes on gatherings and religious events. Funeral rites and emergency burials are underway in the hardest-hit communities.
