ADDIS ABABA, March 11 (ADDIS ABABA) -- A grenade attack in Ethiopia's Amhara regional state located in the northern part of the country has killed three people, local authorities said on Wednesday.
In a press statement, Mehal Meda city administration in Amhara regional state, said the deaths happened on Monday evening when a personal dispute in a bar ended with a deadly grenade attack.
"The suspected attacker threw a grenade at customers in a local bar after he got into fight killing three people and injuring several others," said the statement.
The injured are currently receiving medical treatment in nearby medical institutions.
The statement further said police are looking for the suspect who fled the scene shortly after the grenade attack.
Ethiopia strictly controls ownership of firearms, with a stringent legislation imposing heavy prison terms for unlawful possessions of firearms recently approved by the Ethiopian parliament.
However, firearms smuggling is still relatively common in some parts of Ethiopia, with locals using firearms as protection against blood feuds and as a personal trophy.
The smuggled firearms are also increasingly being used by criminals to commit robbery and by various minor rebel groups to undertake armed struggle against the Ethiopian government.
