9 dead, 6 wounded in Cotabato bus explosion

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At least nine people were killed while six others were hurt when an explosion ripped through a passenger bus in North Cotabato Thursday morning.

Lt. Col. Randolph Cabangbang, regional military spokesman, said the blast happened inside a Rural Transit bus (body number: 2284) at Dalapitan village, Matalam town at around 10:30 a.m.

A separate report from Lt. Col. Benjamin Hao, spokesperson of the Philippine Army's 6th Infantry Division pegged the number of fatalities at seven.

He also cited reports that the bus conductor was among those who died on the spot.

The wounded individuals are currently being treated at a nearby hospital.

The initial investigation showed that the bus, which came from Cagayan de Oro City, had passed by a terminal in Cabangbang town before heading toward Tacurong City.

Members of the local police's explosives ordnance division have yet to reconstruct the fragments recovered from the scene to determine the make of the explosive device.

However, Hao said the blast was caused by an improvised explosive device.

Cabangbang said they are still determining the perpetrators, but added the bus company had been plagued with similar attacks as part of alleged extortion attempts in the past.

"Historically, ang Rural Bus ay binobomba ng extortion group na Al Khobar," Cabangbang said.

The notorious Al Khobar group was blamed for the spate of bomb explosions that have been rocking several province in southern and central Mindanao since 2006.

The extortion group, composed of former Moro rebels, was said to be previously linked to the Abu Sayyaf group, earlier reports said. –VVP, GMANews.TV

Source:Military: 9 dead, 6 wounded in Cotabato bus explosion - Yahoo! Philippines News

[Tirong-say]

failed extortion attempt siguro,
they do not really value the lives of innocent people,
they made the unsuspecting passengers as a collateral damage of their greed with money.

[twizted1031]

i think this has nothing to do with extortion... sa kadaghan sa pwede nila bombahan, nganu bus man jud nga naa mga pasahero... i guess they are trying to send a message to the present administration... i guess they're trying to say that regardless of who is sitting on that presidential chair, they will continue to terrorize this country... sad thing is we have no idea what they really want... these people are just DISRESPECTFUL....

[KASAAC]

We don't know what they are after, their motives and all...if only someone could sit down and talk to these people... may the souls of the innocent be with God

[jd_cellphone]

paita..bomba napud...louya sa mga nadamay...pastilan judning mga teroristaha....naa ba kaha ni sila ginoo?

[zubanu]

a same incident involving the same bus company sparked the war against moro rebels in estrada's time...
which could have been demolished had the impeachment not settled in.

erap already ordered an all out war after the fall of camp abubakar... but peace talks were reinstated again by arroyo..tsk tsk tsk..

i wonder what will this incident spark this time...

[JAINI]

a same incident involving the same bus company sparked the war against moro rebels in estrada's time...
which could have been demolished had the impeachment not settled in.

erap already ordered an all out war after the fall of camp abubakar... but peace talks were reinstated again by arroyo..tsk tsk tsk..

i wonder what will this incident spark this time...

murag rural transit manto ge bombahan sa una..extortion or terrorism wala nay bag o always mani na happen sa mindanao..ok lang unta ang mga npa mag extort kay panaugon ang mga pasahero usa sunogon ang bus but if kaning mga moklo na gani bomba dayon..extortion dala na terrorism..

[elvandesantos]

damn it! dra raba gyud ko sa tacurong tig agi! ang owner sa rural is the same sa ceres also with bachelor transit. wa tingali ni bayad ug revolutionary tax

[JAINI]

damn it! dra raba gyud ko sa tacurong tig agi! ang owner sa rural is the same sa ceres also with bachelor transit. wa tingali ni bayad ug revolutionary tax

yup rural ug bachelor ug ceres i mean ang super 5 to bro sipyat to una post nako...murag super5 manto ge bomb sa ozamis sa una..

[Tre]

ka paet anang lugara kanus a man tawn ang kalinaw dha oi sa una paman jud na hangtod nalang karun wlay kausaban....