Originally published on October 15, 2013 <br />------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br /><br />An explosion at a luxury hotel located in the heart of Myanmar's commercial capital wounded an American woman late on Monday (October 14). The blast reportedly was caused by a time bomb. <br /><br />It was reported that the explosion took place just after midnight in one of the guestrooms on the ninth floor of the 22-story Trader's Hotel in downtown Yangon. It blew out a window in the guestroom, shooting shards of thick glass more than 30 meters into the street. <br /><br />According to reports, the device was a time bomb attached to a clock and was planted in the bathroom inside the guest room. There were no other visible signs of damage to the exterior of the building. <br /><br />A 43-year-old American woman was taken to hospital with minor injuries. Her husband and two young children, aged 5 and 7, were unharmed. <br /><br />According to reports, a 27-year-old Myanmar man who had previously stayed in the hotel room where the blast occurred was detained by police.<br /><br />Reuters said: "The explosion late on Monday was part o a coordinated series of bomb attacks across Myanmar by an 'organised group', targeting tourist haunts, a Buddhist temple and other public places. It was the seventh blast since Friday and was followed by two more explosions early on Tuesday.<br /><br />"Soon after the bomb went off at the Traders in Yangon, another device exploded in the parking lot of the Shwe Pyitsone Hotel in Sagaing region and another at a pagoda. There were no casualties.<br /><br />"The bomb attacks are the latest violence in a year that has seen the euphoria over democratic reforms give way to sectarian attacks that have spread across Myanmar, also known as Burma."
