At least 40 people have been killed and scores injured after two motorbike bombs were thrown at a crowd celebrating a Buddhist festival in the Myanmar town of Chowk, the BBC reported.
The incident occurred on Monday as about 100 people gathered in the town of Chowk to celebrate the ‘Thadi Nyunt Festival’, a national holiday with Buddhist roots, a local official from the anti-junta People’s Defense Force said.
The Buddhist festival was reported to be a place to light candles and protest against the policies of the Myanmar junta.
Myanmar has been in a civil war since the military launched a coup against the government in 2021. The civil war has killed more than 5,000 civilians, according to UN estimates.
Amnesty International issued a statement on Tuesday, criticizing and condemning the junta’s use of mortar shells to attack communities.