Blast kills 1, injures 9 in Cotabato City

WRECKED. A soldier looks into the wreckage after an improvised bomb went off in front of a gun store in Cotabato City, killing at least one and injuring nine others. INQUIRER

MANILA, Philippines—An improvised bomb went off in front of a gun store in Cotabato City Tuesday afternoon, leaving one person dead and nine others injured, police said.

“It was a very powerful bomb placed on a parked motorcycle,” Cotabato City administrator Cynthia Guiani Sayadi said.

Gemana Ali, 53, was declared dead on arrival at the Cotabato Regional Medical Center, Cotabato police chief Senior Superintendent Roberto Badian said.

Nancy Lagamon, Datu Ike Karudin, Delio Tumandag, and Cherry Danosniya were being treated for injuries, he said.

Philippine investigators sift through the wreckage after an improvised bomb went off in front of a gun store in Cotabato City. AFP

Initially, only four persons were reported injured but Police Director Felicisimo Khu, director for Integrated Police Operations in Western Mindanao, said five others were hurt during blast.

Initial investigation showed the improvised explosive device was placed inside a motorcycle parked in front of SWAT gun store along Quezon Avenue in Cotabato City, Region 12 police director Chief Superintendent Benjardi Mantele said.

The bomb, believed to be cellphone-triggered IED and fashioned from 60-mm or 81-mm mortars, went off at about 2:10 p.m.

The motorcycle was a total wreck.

Khu said the gun store is reportedly owned by a certain Martinez, a friend of the Ampatuans. Edwin Fernandez, Inquirer Mindanao

First posted 4:47 pm | Tuesday, August 2nd, 2011