Seaman hurt in blast from garbage he burned in backyard

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Zamboanga del Sur – A seaman who was on vacation here was wounded in an explosion while he was burning garbage at the back of a gated compound.

Maj. Edwin Duco, spokesperson of the Zamboanga City police, identified the lone victim as Ley Banogua Sanchez, 40, and resident of Barangay Sta. Maria.

Initial investigation showed that Sanchez was burning old items at his backyard around 2:40 p.m. on Thursday (Dec. 26) when an explosion occurred.

Duco said a broken bottle exploded although it was not clear what its contents were.

The victim was brought to a hospital with burn injuries in the arm and knee.

Col. John Divinagracia, commander of Joint Task Force Zamboanga, dismissed rumors the explosion was terror-related.

Police, however, sent bomb experts to the area to scour for evidence and identifying marks that could determine what caused the blast.

“We assure residents that this is isolated,” Divinagracia said.

Edited by TSB