An explosion killed three policemen in Bahrain during a protest in a village near the capital Manama yesterday, in one of the worst incidents of violence in recent months.
The Interior Ministry said on its Twitter account that a group of protesters had broken away from a mourning procession in the village of Daih and started blocking roads.
The explosion took place as police were trying to disperse the rioters, it added. There was no immediate word on what caused it.
The Sunni Muslim-led island kingdom, home to the US Fifth Fleet, has suffered low-level civil unrest since mass protests in 2011 led by majority Shi’ites demanding political reforms.
Negotiations between the government and opposition aimed at ending the turbulence have stalled.
The explosion occurred as hundreds of Bahrainis marched in a procession to mark the final day of mourning for a 23-year-old Shi’ite who died in custody last week. The Interior Ministry had said the man, who was detained in December and had been accused of smuggling weapons, had died of an illness.
Social media were flooded with pictures of the policemen covered in blood while rescuers tried to apply first aid. Bahrain, with help from Saudi Arabia, quelled the 2011 protests, but small demonstrations remain frequent and often lead to clashes with security forces.