At least eight individuals were killed in explosives at the notorious Insein prison in Yangon, Myanmar.

Locals informed that on Wednesday morning, two parcel bombs detonated at the entrance to the prison, killing three prison employees and five visitors.

Insein prison is the largest prison in the country, housing approximately 10,000 inmates, many of whom are political prisoners.

No organization has officially claimed responsibility for the attack. Officials verified that 18 other persons were hurt.

The authorities stated that the devices detonated in the prison’s mailroom. A second device, which did not detonate, was discovered there later wrapped in a plastic bag.

The authorities revealed that all five guests who were killed were women and relatives of detainees.

One was the mother of student leader Ko James, who was detained by the military authorities of Myanmar in June of last year. During the week of her son’s court appearance, she visited the prison to present a rice box to him.

On the outskirts of the old capital, Insein jail is a large, heavily-guarded compound.

According to rights groups, the century-old institution is notorious for its harsh circumstances and merciless treatment of convicts.

A military junta overthrew Aung San Suu Kyi’s democratically elected civilian administration in a violent coup last year.

Nonetheless, the junta faces significant opposition in major portions of the country, where the People’s Defense Force remains an active guerrilla front (PDF).

Since the military repressed the large protest movement against its coup a year ago, there have been periodic, mostly small-scale bomb strikes in Yangon.

Typically, these have targeted individuals deemed to be working with the military, such as government officials, alleged informants, and, more recently, air force pilots accused of participating in aerial operations against towns resisting military authority.

As opinions have hardened, there have also been assassination attempts, drive-by shootings, and beheadings in rural regions, for which both sides are to blame.

Observers assert that the scale of violent fighting and battles this year is symptomatic of a civil war.