2 killed, 14 injured in Basilan explosion

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines—(UPDATE) At least two persons were killed and 14 others injured by an explosion that ripped through an eatery in Isabela City in Basilan around 5:30 p.m. Saturday, police said.

Isabela police chief Superintendent Allan Nazaro told the Inquirer by phone that investigators at the scene could not tell immediately if the blast that levelled Mon’s Kitchenette was caused by explosives or a cooking gas tank.

“We found two charred bodies,” he said, adding that at least 14 people were injured.

“EOD (Explosives and Ordnance Division) is still conducting post-blast investigation,” he said, “We can’t determine yet if it’s explosives or LPG (liquefied petroleum gas).”

“I saw at least six persons wounded in the explosion,” Father Arnel Lagman, a diocesan priest, told the Inquirer by phone earlier.

Anette Tan, an employee of the Department of Health who resides near Mon’s Kitchenette, said she saw at least nine persons injured in the explosion.

Basilan Bishop Martin Jumoad said the blast was about 20 meters away from the Sta. Isabel Cathedral along Valderosa Road.