Philippine policemen disarmed a powerful improvised explosive Thursday, January 1, 2009 left near a commuter bus depot in Zamboanga City in Mindanao Island. The discovery of the bomb came a day after an explosion in General Santos City left 22 people wounded.
ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Jan. 1, 2008) – Philippine policemen on Thursday disarmed a powerful improvised explosive left near a commuter bus depot in Zamboanga City.
“It was powerful enough to inflict serious damage and casualties had it exploded,” said one bomb expert, who declined to give his name because he was not authorized to speak to reporters.
He said the explosive was assembled from an 81-millimeter mortar bomb and connected to a clock. The bomb was left in the village of Guiwan, several meters from the bus depot which was heavily guarded by policemen and soldiers.
The explosive was discovered by residents at around 9 a.m. and informed the police about it.
The mortar bomb, he said, is probably brand new. “It’s probably new. It is clean and still had that warning label. We don’t know who was behind this failed bombing,” he said.
No group or individual claimed ownership of the bomb, but its discovery came a day after a grenade explosion in General Santos City left more than two dozen people injured.
Officials said the explosion occurred at a park at around 10 p.m. At least 22 people were wounded in the attack, said Army Captain Emmanuel Garcia, of the Task Force Gensan.
He said an unidentified man hurled the grenade to a crowd at the park. "At least 22 people are wounded in the grenade explosion and they have been rushed to hospitals," he said.
An improvised bomb also exploded late Tuesday in a motorcycle taxi near a police checkpoint, killing its driver and wounding an officer in the village of Saliao in Sultan Kudarat's Esperanza town.
The improvised explosive, assembled from 81-millimeter mortar bomb, was inside a sack full of charcoal when it went off while the policeman was inspecting the vehicle. Officials said faulty bomb assembly had triggered the explosion. (Mindanao Examiner)
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