Footage shows the aftermath of an attack on a religious festival in Myanmar that left at least 40 devotees dead and 80 more injured.

A Burmese military paraglider is said to have dropped bombs into the crowd during the event in the Chuang U township on Monday evening for the Thadingyut full moon festival.

Children were reportedly among those who were killed. Attendees said they were hit by shrapnel as the bombs exploded on impact.

Many of the people at the event were protesting against the rule of the junta, which has ruled through violence in recent years. Organisers said they were using the event as a strike to show their opposition to the regime.

Myanmar, or Burma, has fallen into civil war following the removal of democratically elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, with a military coup in 2021.

Soldiers responded with barbaric force on protesting civilians, leading to widespread condemnation and financial sanctions. Rebel groups and civilian militias around the country have since been locked in a series of ongoing clashes with the ruling military.

Aung San Suu Kyi has since been jailed for 33 years on politically motivated charges and is likely to die behind bars unless the army is toppled - a tragic end the politician hailed by Barack Obama as an 'inspirational icon of democracy'.