Tuesday, January 20, 2015

IED blast rocks North Cotabato public market, no one hurt

From the Philippine News Agency (Jan 20): IED blast rocks North Cotabato public market, no one hurt

KABACAN, North Cotabato – Another bomb attack occurred in North Cotabato, less than 24 hours after unidentified men set off an improvised explosive device that toppled down a transmission tower, police said.

Senior Insp. Ernor Melgarejo, Kabacan police chief, said an IED fashioned from chemicals, concrete nails and mobile phone exploded at about 6 p.m. Monday while bomb experts were to check it inside the Kabacan public market.

Nobody was hurt in the blast since the market had been evacuated after a restaurant cashier informed the market guard about suspicious cellophane she found left by a man in one of the stalls.

The unidentified cashier alerted market guard Mike Remulta who in turn called the police.

Melgarejo said as the police and Army bomb experts were preparing to disarm the bomb, it went off.

Quoting witnesses, Melgarejo said a man arrived at about 5 p.m. inside the dry goods and fish section of Kabacan market. He left a cellophane containing a kilo of rice, canned goods and other items.

The cashier was suspicious of the man’s action so she took a peek at the cellophane where she saw a blinking light. Convinced it was a bomb, she called Remulta.

No one was injured. No group claimed responsibility.

The Kabacan blast came less than 24 hours after unidentified men set off IEDs at the foot of National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) transmission tower No. 42 in Barangay Batulawan, Pikit, North Cotabato that cut power in parts of North Cotabato, the whole of Maguindanao including Cotabato City.

It was the third bombing attempt in North Cotabato since January 13 where an IED also toppled NCGP Tower 26 in Barangay Gilakit, Pikit, North Cotabato.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=726969

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