ရန္ကုန္သၾကၤန္ ကန္ေတာ္ၾကီးမွာ ဗံုး ေပါက္ကြဲ

YANGON, Myanmar (AP) — At least nine persons have been killed as several explosions hit Myanmar's biggest city Yangon during traditional New Year festivities.

A hospital official who gave the death toll said the number was expected to rise. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to release information.

The casualties were not officially confirmed.

Witnesses said the emergency ward of Yangon General Hospital was sealed off to outsiders after at least 30 injured people were rushed there Thursday afternoon.

Witnesses, also speaking on condition of anonymity, said the three or four blasts occurred at about 3 p.m. near pavilions erected for the celebrations, close to the city's Kandawgyi Lake.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

YANGON, Myanmar (AP) — At least three explosions hit Myanmar's biggest city Yangon during lunar New Year festivities, and dozens of people are believed hurt.

Witnesses said the blasts occurred at about 3 p.m. Thursday near pavilions erected for the celebrations, close to the city's Kandawgyi Lake.

An official confirmed the explosions, but could not give details of damage or casualties. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to release information.

Witnesses said police surged into the area after the blasts and at least 30 people were rushed to Yangon General Hospital.

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