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Nine killed in Myanmar's triple-bomb attack
[Dawn] Three bombs rocked a park in Myanmar's main city Yangon Thursday as revellers celebrated an annual water festival, leaving at least nine people dead and more than 60 wounded, officials said.The blasts occurred near Kandawgyi Lake in the military-ruled country's commercial hub where crowds had gathered to celebrate the Buddhist new year. "Nine people were killed -- five men and four women -- and so far 62 people were injured," an official told AFP on condition of anonymity. A fourth bomb was found and defused, the official said. The blasts came as the country prepares for elections planned for this year that critics have dismissed as a sham for effectively barring opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi because she is a serving prisoner. Hundreds of people gathered around the area, which was cordoned off by police after the explosions. Witnesses said people fled and ambulances rushed away casualties. "I saw blood on many people," said a Red Cross official. Myanmar has been hit by a series of bomb blasts in recent years, with the junta blaming attacks on armed exile groups or ethnic rebels. Posted by: Fred 2010-04-16 |
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