YANGON, Myanmar (AP) — An explosion on a bus in Myanmar killed the driver on Wednesday, a government official said. Three bombings in different parts of Myanmar since Friday have killed two people and injured five.
The official said the explosion occurred about 65 miles north of Yangon in Pyinbonegyi. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release information to the media.
Terrorism is rare but not unknown in Myanmar, which has been under military rule almost continuously since 1962.
The official said the device exploded when the bus was stopped to allow passengers to eat at a roadside shop, and the driver stayed on board. The bus was traveling to Yangon from Kyaukyi, a town about 105 miles to the north.
No one has claimed responsibility. But state media linked at least one of the bombings in the past week to ethnic Karen rebels, and the bus that was hit by an explosion Wednesday originated in an ethnic Karen area.
The ruling junta blamed the recent bombings on an unspecified foreign organization and called on the public to report any sightings of terrorists, a state-run newspaper said Monday.
“Information has been received that a foreign organization has sent terrorist saboteurs with explosives across the border to perpetrate destructive acts inside the country,” the Myanma Ahlin newspaper said.
