Myanmar security forces shot and killed at least eight people on Wednesday, according to accounts on social media and local news reports, as authorities extended their lethal crackdown on protests against last month’s coup.

Videos from various locations showed security forces firing slingshots at demonstrators, chasing them down, and even beating an ambulance crew.

A doctor told the AFP news agency one protester was shot in the chest in Mandalay while another, a 19-year-old young woman, was shot in her head.

The Frontier Magazine also reported the killing, saying police first used tear gas and rubber bullets at a crowd numbering in the thousands in Mandalay. They opened fire later when the crowd re-grouped at the same place and resumed their sit-in protest, the publication said.

Myanmar has been in chaos since February 1, when the military seized power in a coup and detained much of the country’s civilian leadership, including leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

The military justified the takeover with unsubstantiated claims of fraud in the November 2020 election that returned Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) to power. The power grab has triggered widespread international condemnation as well as nationwide demonstrations demanding a return to civilian rule.

In the town of Monywa, a rescue worker told AFP his team handled the dead bodies of four people and contacted their families. The Monywa Gazette, a local news outlet, put the death toll at five people.

There were also reports of live fire deaths and injuries in the main city of Yangon, where security forces arrested 300 people and “violently beat up” some protesters, according to Myanmar Now website.

Video posted on social media showed long lines of young men, hands-on heads, filing into army trucks as police and soldiers stood guard.

Police and soldiers also blocked off the Hledan Centre junction and fired tear gas at demonstrators in Yangon’s Sachaung area, but the crowds regrouped minutes after dispersing, Myanmar Now reported.

Protests also took place in the central towns of Monywa, Myingyan, and Magway. The Monywa Gazette reported five people were wounded when security forces fired live ammunition there.

There was no immediate comment from Myanmar’s military.