DHAKA, Bangladesh, Dec. 7 (UPI) -- A series of near-simultaneous explosions in Bangladesh Saturday have killed 16 people and wounded 350 others, government officials said.
However, hospital officials say that at least 25 people were killed in the blasts, which occurred at approximately 6 p.m. at four movie theaters in the town of Mymensingh, about 100 kilometers (65 miles) north of the Bangladeshi capital of Dhaka.
The theaters had been filled to capacity because Saturday was the Muslim Eid al-Fitr holiday, which marks the end of the fasting month of Ramadan. According to reports, the explosions occurred about five to 10 minutes apart, with at least one timed when the hundreds of moviegoers were pouring out of the building.
No one has yet claimed responsibility for the attacks. However, late last month Indian government officials told Parliament they have confirmed reports of al Qaida's presence in Bangladesh, a declaration that Bangladesh's foreign minister vigorously denied.
In September more than 100 people were injured in explosions at a movie hall in Satkhira, a district town about 180 kilometers (110 miles) south of Dhaka, the British Broadcast Corp. reported. The perpetrators in that case are still unclear, though both government and opposition representatives blamed Muslim extremists with ties to the other.
