Saturday, October 10, 2015

Improvised bombs topple 2 NGCP steel towers in N. Cotabato

From the Philippine News Agency (Oct 10): Improvised bombs topple 2 NGCP steel towers in N. Cotabato

PIKIT, North Cotabato -- Suspected extortionists set off improvised explosive devices on two steel towers of the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) Friday night, sending parts of North Cotabato and the whole of Maguindanao, including Cotabato City, in total blackout for about four hours.

Last night's attack was the fourth this year against NGCP towers in Pikit, North Cotabato and nearby Pagalungan in Maguindanao.

Power was restored at past 3 a.m. after a series of blasts toppled NGCP Towers No. 44 and 45 in Barangay Batulawan, Pikit, North Cotabato.

"We suspect extortion groups were behind the bomb attacks," Senior Inspector Sindatu Karim, Pikit town police chief, said.

No one has claimed responsibility but Karim believed extortionists operating in North Cotabato were behind the attack.

Responding Army and police bomb experts belonging to Task Force Pikit found fragments of 60 mm mortars at the toppled towers in Barangay Batulawan, Pikit where the explosives went off at 11:30 p.m. Friday.

Power was cut in parts of North Cotabato, the whole of Maguindanao and Cotabato City.

Power officials said the toppled towers transmit 138 KV line from Kibawe power station in Kibawe, Bukidnon to Kabacan, North Cotabato and Simuay station in Maguindanao.

According to Karim, the towers were located about 300 to 400 meters away from a militia detachment in the national highway of Barangay Batulawan.

He estimated about six to seven IEDs were planted in adjoining steel towers.

"These were very powerful bombs that it toppled the steel towers," Karim said.

Police and Army bomb experts are still in the area conducting post blast investigation.

Following the incident, NGCP transmit powers from Tacurong Sub-Station to Simuay station at past 2:30 a.m.

Previous attacks on NGCP power lines were blamed to outlawed Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) which also operates in Pikit.

Large areas of Central Mindanao were plunged into darkness Sunday night when another transmission tower of the NGCP was bombed in Pikit, North Cotabato.

On January 13 and 18 this year, suspected extortionists toppled Tower 26 and Tower 41 in Barangay Ginakit, Pagalungan, Maguindanao and Barangay Batulawan, Pikit, North Cotabato, respectively.

Like last night's attacks, bombs were crafted from 60 mm or 81 mm mortar shells with mobile phones as triggering devices.

The January bomb attacks also sent part of North Cotabato, the whole of Maguindanao and Cotabato City in total blackout for about three hours.

Authorities blamed the outlawed BIFF in the January attacks.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=813580

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