Explosions at Myanmar's Insein Prison kill 8 people and injure 18

Prison staff and visitors were hit when the bombs went off at the parcel reception area.

By RFA Burmese 2022.10.19 -- Multiple bomb blasts at Insein Prison in Myanmar's commercial capital Yangon killed eight people and injured 18 on Wednesday.

The State Administration Council (SAC) said mines in packages both inside and outside the parcel receiving counters killed three prison department staff and five civilians who came to send parcels to prisoners. Two children aged nine and 17 were among the injured.

A lawyer who witnessed the incident confirmed to RFA that a 54-year-old woman, Gyi Myint, was among the eight dead. He said she was the mother of Lin Htet Naing, a former student member of the All Burma Students' Union, who was arrested for anti-dictatorship activities and was an inmate of the prison on the outskirts of Yangon.

The lawyer said the family would be able to take her body home later in the day

A woman who witnessed the incident while sending a parcel told RFA that she was slightly injured by the explosion.

"It was lucky that the bomb blast went straight and I survived. A person fell down in front of the counter and couldn't get up because she was covered in blood," said the woman who didn't want to be named for safety reasons. She said she suffered minor injuries to her legs and ankles.

No person or group has so far claimed responsibility for the bombings.

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