According to survivors of the massacre, the Myanmar Army had planned out and prepared for the massacre prior to it happening; this was possibly done with the intent of enacting revenge for attacks made by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA).[15] Locals in Gu Dar Pyin spotted soldiers buying twelve large containers of acid near the village market two days prior to the massacre.[1] On 27 August 2017, at around noon, over 200 soldiers from the Tatmadaw stormed Gu Dar Pyin from a Buddhist village to the south, firing on fleeing Rohingya villagers.