Myanmar attack on Chaung U Thadingyut festival kills at least 24

A nighttime attack using a motorised paraglider dropped explosives on a crowd gathered for the Thadingyut Festival in Chaung U township, central Myanmar, on Monday evening, killing at least 24 people and wounding dozens, local officials, witnesses and rights groups said. Witnesses described scenes of mass casualties as hundreds had assembled for the Buddhist Festival of Lights and an antigovernment candlelight vigil.

Local resistance officials said the aircraft made multiple passes and released two bombs on the crowd shortly after 8 p.m., striking as people lit candles and carried out a demonstration that had drawn roughly 100 participants. Hospital staff and residents reported dozens of injured people arriving at makeshift treatment sites, and one local official said the blasts were rapid and caused severe difficulty identifying bodies. Some witnesses and residents later reported higher casualty numbers, saying more than 40 people had been killed; those higher figures have not been independently confirmed.

Several witnesses described graphic injuries and frantic rescue efforts. One woman who helped organize the event said children were among the dead and that responders were...