Mortar round found inside Zamboanga City school

ZAMBOANGA CITY – A barangay (village) kagawad (councilor) reported the recovery of an 81 mm mortar round inside an abandoned room of an elementary school here on Thursday morning.

Kagawad Allan Bernales said he received a call from a school principal, Helen Abad, about an alleged bomb found inside an abandoned structure of the Canelar Elementary School shortly after 11a.m. on October 18.

“We proceeded to the area and we found a tube bomb,” he said.

“It’s more like a mortar and we immediately called the bomb squad and secured the place. They said it was a mortar,” Bernales added.

Bernales said the mortar round was found hidden and covered by paper inside an abandoned room that used to be the home economics room.

A military bomb expert confirmed that what was recovered was an 81 mm mortar round.

Earlier, a bomb scare hit the Curuan National High School, located some 47 kilometers away from the Canelar Elementary School.

Police Senior Insp. Sonny Joe Amponin of the Curuan police said a teacher reported having received a text message informing that two bombs have been planted inside the Curuan National High School.

“We immediately secured the area and at 8 a.m. on October 18, the bomb squad unit led by PO3 Mark Anthony Basilio arrived to sanitize the area but fortunately, the report turned out to be negative,” Amponin said. /muf