6 bus passengers wounded in Zamboanga City blast

MANILA, Philippines—Six people were wounded after an improvised explosive device allegedly left by a passenger inside a bus went off in Zamboanga City Thursday evening, police said.

Chief Superintendent Napoleon Estilles, Region 9 police director, said an explosive device went off inside a Rural Bus Transit passenger bus some 200 meters away from a bus terminal in Zamboanga City around 9 p.m. He said the bus came from Pagadian, Zamboanga del Sur.

The bus was carrying around 24 passengers when the explosion occurred, Estilles said.

He said initial investigation showed that the IED was allegedly left by one of the passengers at the back portion of the bus.

No other information was available, the police director said, as further investigation is still being conducted.

Meanwhile, Estilles said another explosion inside a vacant lot within the city occurred around 11:15 p.m., but no one was hurt.

“It was a minor one that happened in an open field,” he said.

Originally posted at 11:11 pm | Thursday, August 16, 2012