6 soldiers hurt by landmine in Quirino province

BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya— Six soldiers were wounded when their vehicles were struck by a landmine in a remote village in Nagtipunan town in Quirino province.

A spot report from the Army’s 5th Infantry Division said soldiers from the 86th Infantry Battalion were in a convoy when the blast from a buried explosive hit the two KM 450 all-terrain military trucks they were on.

They were on their way back to their base when the incident happened at 8:30 a.m., Tuesday, July 11, 2017, the Army said.

The wounded soldiers, who were not identified, were rushed to the Maddela District Hospital in Diduyon village, about 25 km away. Three were later transferred to the Quirino Province Medical Center in Cabarroguis town, about an hour farther away.

Army officials blamed the New People’s Army (NPA) who were retaliating for the Army’s seizure of a rebel camp in nearby Disimungal village last July 4.

Maj. Gen. Paul Atal, commanding officer of the 5th ID, said the landmine violated the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect of Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law.

The NPA has yet to issue a statement regarding the blast. CBB/rga