The Myanmar authorities confirmed Saturday night that a series of three bombs had gone off in separate locations in the afternoon, killing a total of 11 people and injuring 162 others. (Xinhua/AFP photo)

(Xinhua/AFP photo)

    YANGON, May 7 (Xinhuanet) -- The Myanmar authorities confirmed Saturday night that a series of three bombs had gone off in separate locations here in the afternoon, killing a total of 11 people and injuring 162 others.

    According to a report of the state-run Radio Myanmar, the three successive explosions within 10 minutes took place at the Yangon Trade Center, Dagon Center and Junction-8.

    The blast, which occurred at the four-story Yangon Trade Center, was at 2:50 p.m. (local time) where a Thai trade exhibition was underway, while that at the Dagon Center City Mart was at 3:00 p.m. and that at the Junction-8 City Mart was at 2:55 p.m., the report said.

    Myanmar Prime Minister Lieutenant-General Soe Win rushed to the scene to look into the incident, the report added.

    The government charged insurgent groups with sponsoring the bomb attacks to undermine peace and stability in the country.

    The explosions were the latest of a series of bomb blasts that have rocked Yangon. In mid-May, two bombs went up in the capital, one at a bus terminal in eastern Yangon, while the other at a downtown hotel. Neither of the blasts then had resulted in casualties.

    The Myanmar authorities blamed some anti-government organizations operating in exile for sponsoring the two previous Yangon bomb attacks.

    However, a bomb explosion on April 26 in a major market of Zaycho in Mandalay, Myanmar's second largest city and about 680 kilometers north of Yangon, had killed two young women, injuring 15 others, according to earlier official media. The wounded included 13 women. Enditem