Two mysterious explosions shook parks near busy thoroughfares in Myanmar’s largest city, where blasts are usually blamed on ethnic militants battling the military-run government.
Nobody claimed responsibility for the Tuesday evening blasts in Yangon and there was no immediate comment from the ruling junta in the tightly controlled nation, where almost all government statements are released through state-run media.
Security personnel rushed to the sites of both blasts, while soldiers and police stopped and searched vehicles along another main thoroughfare that passes by the sites of both explosions.
An official said there were no casualties, but onlookers saw one man being led to an ambulance after the first blast, which could be heard from several blocks away. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
Witnesses said the first blast took place at about 9:40pm at a small park in western Yangon near Myeinigone junction, a busy area with a bus terminal. Witnesses saw smoke rising from the scene and police and soldiers arriving with bomb-sniffing dogs.
The second blast shortly after 11pm occurred by a bus stop next to a park at Kamayut junction.
Truckloads of solders were quickly deployed to the area.
Terrorism is rare but not unknown in Myanmar, which has been under near-continuous military rule since 1962. Several small bombings occurred in Yangon last year, injuring about a dozen people.
The government usually blames bombings on political opponents or ethnic groups seeking autonomy. The groups deny carrying out such activities.
The deadliest such attack in recent years took place May 7, 2005, when three bombs went off almost simultaneously at two upscale supermarkets and a convention center in Yangon, killing about two dozen people and injuring more than 160 others. The perpetrators remain unknown.
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