A bomb exploded in the Myanmar-China border town of Muse in northern Shan State on Friday morning, killing the 18-year-old man who had picked up a package on the street which contained the device, according to a local charity organisation.
The victim was identified as Thingyan, who worked as a cleaner with a private contracting company for the town’s municipal services, the company said in a statement on Friday.
“We heard he picked up a package and the bomb went off. It blew both of his legs off from around the knees. He sustained injuries to other parts of his body too. We are on our way to cremate his body,” a local emergency rescue worker in Muse said on Friday.
The bomb went off in an area near a local high school, a market and the Muse public hospital. Two women were also injured in the attack.
A woman who was passing the area on a motorcycle was critically injured and her motorcycle caught on fire in the explosion. She worked at a local optical shop.
“Her whole back is filled with burns. It was like half of her body was burned. The injuries are very severe,” the rescue worker said.
Another woman injured in the attack worked at a pharmacy and her injuries were not as serious, according to the rescue worker. After the explosion, the junta’s armed forces blocked off the area and were interrogating people nearby, he added.
In recent weeks, several explosions have been reported nationwide, including in Yangon.
Local administrators loyal to the coup regime that seized power on February 1 have been targeted in bomb and arson attacks and shootings in many towns and cities across the country.
It is not known who is behind the bombings.
However, individuals who support the coup, including those affiliated with the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party, have been accused of being informants and tipping off the regime authorities with information about the activities and whereabouts of pro-democracy activists.
