Explosion hits Butuan City; no one injured

From MindaNews (Jan 4): Explosion hits Butuan City; no one injured

An alleged bomb exploded at this city at around 10:30 p.m. Friday, police said Saturday.

Supt. Romy Palgue, the city’s deputy police director, said the explosion occurred outside VOCOM Enterprises along Lopez Jaena Street in Barangay Sikatuna.
No one was injured in the blast.

Palgue said that they are still investigating the incident.

“So far, this is the first time [that an explosion happened] here in Butuan City. We are still trying to determine the type of explosive that was used,” he said.

 

However, initial investigations showed that the explosive used was “not powerful,” Palgue said.

Chief Insp. Cramwell Banogon, team leader of the Scene of the Crime Operatives (SOCO) from the Regional Crime Laboratory Office-13, also told MindaNews at the blast scene that “it was a low grade explosion.”

“There was not much damage in the area, suggesting a low-grade explosive [was used],” Banogon said.

Banogon said they gathered debris in the blast site to determine the type of explosive that was used and how it was made.

A police investigator who requested anonymity said that most of the debris they collected was from a PVC (polyvinyl chloride) pipe.

“We also noticed parts of a mobile phone, which might suggest that the explosive device was triggered remotely but until the SOCO would be able to finalize its investigation, we still can’t conclude anything,” he said.

Jose Felisilda, a security guard at the adjacent Dy Teban Hardware, said he never saw anybody acting suspicious in the area prior to the explosion.

http://www.mindanews.com/top-stories/2014/01/04/explosion-hits-butuan-city-no-one-injured/