BLAST IN SOUTH PHILIPPINES INJURES 3 SCHOOLCHILDREN

Zamboanga, 12 Dzulqa’dah 1436/27 Agustus 2015 (MINA) – Four people including three children were injured Wednesday when a bomb explosion rocked a predominantly Christian city in the Philippines’ Muslim majority south.

Senior Superintendent Angelito Casimiro, Zamboanga City Police Office chief, told local reporters that the victims — three schoolchildren and one of their fathers — were headed to a nearby school when the blast occurred at around 6.45 a.m. (2245GMT Tuesday), Anadolu Agency quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA).

“Fortunately, the victims only suffered minor injuries. They were immediately brought to the hospital for treatment,” he said.

The city’s explosive and ordnance disposal team is still identifying the type of explosive used in the attack in a busy area a few meters from the house of Ayala village’s chairman, Dioterides Librero.

Zamboanga City, which is still recovering from a 2013 siege by the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) Muslim rebel group, has been struck in recent months by several bombings blamed on the al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf militant group. (T/P010/R03)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)