Myanmar coup: Defiant protesters return a day after 38 are killed

Protesters have returned to cities across Myanmar, just hours after the country saw its bloodiest day since last month's military coup.

Some 38 people were killed on Wednesday with witnesses saying security forces opened fire with live bullets.

Myanmar has been gripped by protests since the 1 February coup, demanding the release of detained leaders.

Hundreds on Wednesday paid tribute to a 19-year-old woman who was shot dead while protesting in Mandalay.

Angel, also known as Kyal Sin, was wearing a T-shirt with the phrase "Everything will be OK" on the day she was killed.

During her open-casket funeral, mourners sang revolutionary songs and chanted anti-coup slogans. reported Reuters.

Tributes for her also flooded social media, with many calling her their "hero".

One man, who was with her at the protests, said she had kicked open a water pipe so protesters could wash tear gas from their eyes. She also tried to help him as police opened fire.

"She told me 'Sit! Bullets will hit you'," he told Reuters. "She cared for and protected others."

Myanmar has seen mass protests since the military seized power on 1 February, with demonstrators calling for an end to military rule and the release of its democratically elected leaders, including Aung San Suu Kyi.

Dozens of countries have now condemned the violence in Myanmar, though this has been largely ignored by the coup leaders.

Undeterred by Wednesday's deaths, protesters made their way out on to the streets of Yangon and Mandalay – the country's two biggest cities – as well as those of other cities and towns.

According to news_copy site Myanmar Now, tens of thousands of people were protesting in the town of Myingyan, where a demonstrator had been shot dead the day before.