Myanmar

At least two bomb blasts ripped though Myanmar's biggest jail on Wednesday, leaving at least eight dead and 18 others injured. Three officials and five visitors were among those dead at Yangon's colonial-era Insein prison. The explosions went off at 9:40 am local time near the facility's parcels counter, news portal Myanmar Now reported. 

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A crowd queuing to drop off parcels for inmates at the prison were hit by the attacks, an information team for the country's junta authorities said in a statement. However, there is no clarity over the number of explosions.

BBC Burmese reported that prison staff and couriers who sustained serious injuries were evacuated from the prison, while those with minor injuries were treated at nearby shops. A number of cases scheduled to be heard in the adjacent court have been cancelled, according to media reports.

The junta blamed "terrorists" and said the dead included three prison staff and a 10-year-old girl.

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It added that security forces had defused another "homemade mine" device found nearby. The area around the prison was locked down following the blasts.

Soon after, pictures of the scene started circulating on social media, showing blood stains and shattered windows. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack yet. 

Insein is the country's most notorious prison. Rights groups say hundreds of political prisoners are held there, including former British ambassador to Myanmar Vicky Bowman and Japanese journalist Toru Kubota.

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(With inputs from agencies)