Woman hurt in Cotabato City blast

COTABATO CITY, Philippines—A 27-year old woman was slightly injured when an improvised bomb went off near the Cotabato Barter Trade Center, just outside the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao regional government compound, here around at 7:30 p.m.

Superintendent Danny Reyes, city police chief, said the remotely-detonated improvised explosive device was fashioned out from a mortar shell but its exact make was still being determined.

He said it was fortunate that the bomb exploded when there was less activity in the area.

The Barter Trade Center is also near the Central Mindanao office of the Government Service Insurance System.