A bomb went off at 6:45 pm on Sunday, December 18th, onboard the “Cherry” ferry transporting commuters between Dala Township and downtown Pansodan Port in Myanmar’s largest city of Yangon.
Despite it being a relatively small explosion, 17 people were injured, according to fire brigade officials at the Kyauktada township, downtown Yangon.
Local media reports on Sunday revealed the vessel ran on Yangon’s Pansoedan-Dala route.
According to the fire brigade official, the ship was going to depart from Yangon to Dala. The accident happened in the lower room of the ferry. A total of 17 were injured, with 4 of them in critical condition.
The injured were all sent to Yangon General Hospital for treatment.
While state media has yet to make an announcement regarding the bombing, a group claiming to be the PDF branch of Dala Township claimed that such acts of violence, targeting civilians, had been committed by those who supported the military or the military itself.
The statement warned that there had been an increase in cases of violence, from bombings to extortion, by people operating under the guise of being PDF members, and that PDF forces did not target civilian’s targets.