Bomb kills 2 in Zamboanga del Sur

COTABATO CITY — Two individuals were reportedly killed in a powerful explosion that ripped through a beach resort in Barangay Lower Bayao in Tukuran, Zamboanga del Sur before dawn Tuesday.

In initial statements released on Tuesday, the Tukuran Municipal Police Station and the Zamboanga del Sur Provincial Police Office said the victims got killed after still unidentified bombers set off an improvised explosive device placed inside a utility box of a motorcycle parked near a store.

Flash reports by radio stations here and in nearby cities early Tuesday stated that the victims who perished in the explosion died instantly from injuries caused by the blast.

Police and Army intelligence officials had told reporters there are indications that the home-made bomb was rigged with a blasting contraption detonated from a distance using a mobile phone.

The commander of the Philippine Army, Lt. Gen. Roy Galido, said he has ordered the officials of the 1st Infantry Division that has jurisdiction over Tukuran and all other towns in Zamboanga del Sur to help the police put a closure on the deadly bombing. — John Felix M. Unson