At least 40 people are dead and 80 are injured after a paraglider dropped bombs on a festival in Myanmar.
Children are among the victims of the deadly overnight attack, which is believed to have been conducted by the Myanmar military.
The attack lasted seven minutes, with witnesses saying they were hit by shrapnel as the bombs exploded on impact and bodies fell to the ground.
Hundreds of people were gathered in the Chaung U township for the Thadingyut full moon festival when the military dropped bombs on the crowd, according to a member of the committee that organised the event.
The woman, who requested anonymity, said people were gathered for the festival and an anti-junta demonstration when the bombs were dropped.
She told AFP: "The committee alerted people, and one-third of the crowd managed to flee. But immediately, one motor-powered paraglider flew right over the crowd," and dropped two bombs.
She said that "children were completely torn apart", adding that people are "still collecting body parts from the ground - pieces of flesh, limbs, parts of bodies that were blown apart".
A resident of the town who attended the event confirmed the estimated toll, saying people tried to run while the parachute flew overhead.
At least 80 people were injured in the bombing
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He said: "Two of my comrades were killed just in front of me. There were even more who died in front of me."
The man, who also requested anonymity, attended funerals for nine of his friends who were killed.
Local media reported that 40 people were killed in the deadly attack.
Myanmar has been in civil war since the military seized power in a 2021 coup, prompting pro-democracy rebels to take up arms.
Human rights watchdog Amnesty International noted in a statement that the attack "should serve as a gruesome wake-up call that civilians in Myanmar need urgent protection".
Amnesty added that it shows the military was "intensifying an already brutal campaign against pockets of resistance".
Amnesty's Myanmar researcher, Joe Freeman, said: "The international community may have forgotten about the conflict in Myanmar, but the Myanmar military is taking advantage of reduced scrutiny to carry out war crimes with impunity."
Since 2021, thousands of people have been killed and millions displaced.
Since 2021, thousands of people have been killed in Myanmar
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The military initially lost half the country but has since made major gains.
Myanmar is set to hold general elections in two months, after the 2021 coup toppled Aung San Suu Kyi's Government.
The junta, led by General Min Aung Hlaing, suggested the vote would restore civilian rule, but critics say it is an act designed to legitimise military control.
Analysts warn that the election could trigger further unrest due to tight media restrictions, limited independent organisations, and parts of the country still in conflict.
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