At least 2 people were killed and around 30 were left injured after Myanmar's security forces fired live rounds and rubber bullets at anti-coup protestors in Mandalay on Saturday.
Since the unprecedented military coup on February 1, hundreds of thousands of demonstrators took to the streets to protest against the junta.
On Saturday, hundreds of police officers and soldiers who gathered at a shipyard in the city near the Irrawaddy river, sparked fears among nearby residents that authorities would try to arrest workers for taking part in the anti-coup movement.
They banged pots and pans as a signature gesture of defiance with protestors yelling at the police to leave and throwing rocks at them.
The police however opened fire at the protestors with live rounds, rubber bullets and slingshot balls, dispersing them.
According to Hlaing Min Oo, the head of a Mandalay-based volunteer emergency rescue team, two people were killed including a boy who was shot in the head.
"About 30 others were injured — half of the injured people were shot with live rounds," he added.
There is also a graphic video being circulated on Facebook of the boy lying on a pool of blood, bleeding from his head with one bystander placing a hand on his chest to feel for a heartbeat.
In early February, hundreds of people were arrested – many of them civil servants who had been boycotting work as part of a civil disobedience campaign. There have been many instances of police using tear gas, water cannon and rubber bullets to tackle the protestors. Isolated incidents of live rounds being fired were also reported.
