Grenade explosion injures 6 voters in Datu Piang, Maguindanao

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COTABATO CITY, Philippines–Six voters were injured when a rifle grenade landed in their midst while waiting to cast their votes in Datu Piang, Maguindanao, on Monday.

Maj. Roldan Kundong, Maguindanao police spokesperson, said the rifle grenade fired from somewhere landed beside the covered court of Datu Piang Elementary School in Barangay Buayan at around 11:15 a.m.

“They (voters) were inside the school’s covered court waiting for their names to be called to vote when the explosion occurred,” Kundong said.

He identified the six injured voters as Lebe Calunting, Satar Andoy, Aladin Kusain, Nasser Guiali, Anib Kanakan and Ukal Guiali, who were all rushed to Abpi Emergency Hospital in Datu Piang.

The M-79 rifle grenade was fired from outside the compound. No one has claimed responsibility as of this writing.

Despite the explosion, voting in Datu Piang Elementary School continued, Kundong said.

The Datu Piang explosion came hours after a series of explosions in Datu Unsay and Shariff Aguak in Maguindanao that left nine voters injured, and the killing of three village watchmen in Buluan town.

Meanwhile, in Cotabato City volunteers of the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting documented unidentified individuals sowing chaos and harassing voters at the Sero Elementary School, said Bernardo Carmelo, head of the group’s election monitoring desk.

Carmelo added that in Tamontaka 3, unidentified armed men opened fire at a school compound where voting is being conducted and injured two individuals–one of them in critical condition. With reports from Bong Sarmiento /ra

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