Bag thrown at bus snarls traffic on Edsa
MANILA, Philippines —Traffic on Edsa was at a standstill on Wednesday night after a backpack feared to contain explosives was thrown at a passenger bus while it was at the corner of FB Harrison and Edsa in Pasay City.
It has been more than three hours since the bomb threat incident started but police said they have yet to resolve the situation.
Senior Superintendent Rodolfo Llorca, Pasay police chief, said someone threw the bag from a footbridge on Edsa at 5:01 p.m.
The bag landed on the roof of a Bataan Lines bus traveling on the southbound lane of Edsa near FB Harrison, causing immediate panic among those onboard the vehicle.
Llorca said the driver and the conductor immediately ordered the passengers to disembark from the bus and alerted the Pasay police afterward.
“For the public’s safety, we decided to close both lanes of Edsa near FB Harrison while our bomb squads are checking if an IED (improvised explosive devise) is in the bag,” Llorca said.
Members of the Explosive Ordnance Division of the Pasay police, who brought with them bomb-sniffing dogs, managed to remove the bag from the roof of the bus.
“Our dog sat near the bag four times, a sign that an IED could be inside,” Llorca said.
The Pasay police were still waiting for the EOD’s bomb baskets for the disposal of the suspected IED.
In a phone interview, INQUIRER.net asked Police Chief Superintendent Jose Erwin Villacorte, Southern Police District director, about updates on the incident but said “hindi pa kami tapos [we are not yet finished].”
A radio report said that around 6 p.m., Police Officer 3 Randy Fortuna, a member of Pasay City Police’s Explosive Ordnance Division, went up the foot bridge just above the stalled bus, and conducted what was called “hook and line” where the bag was hooked from the bus’ roof and placed on the ground.
The bag was placed at the left side of the Bataan Bus.
A live footage around the area showed that a bomb expert in full suit went near the bag, placed something, and then stepped back.
The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority as of press time advised motorists to seek alternate routes as both lanes of Edsa near FB Harrison were blocked.
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