Two small explosions in Ethiopia’s capital

Mar 07, 2006 (ADDIS ABABA) — Two small explosions outside of a hotel restaurant and in a shopping district of Ethiopia’s capital wounded four people and blew out windows, police witnesses said.

The first blast at a hotel injured four people, who were taken to a nearby hospital in central Addis Ababa, said Niglas Selassie, a witness who was inside the building at the time. In addition to shattering windows, the blast did minor damage to the building’s facade, but there was no structural damage.

“The bomb caused a very big noise, it was very frightening,” Niglas said. He said the blast appeared to be caused by a small bomb.

A police spokesman, Commander Demsash, said a second blast occurred about 40 minutes later in Addis Ababa’s main shopping district. It did not cause any injuries or serious damage.

“We are still investigating what cause the blasts and who is responsible,” said Demsash, who gave only one name.

There were no immediate claims of responsibility and the locations of the blasts did not appear to have any political significance.

(AP/ST)