ZAMBOANGA: A suspected bomb attack left six dead while a separate grenade blast wounded five as violence marred New Year celebrations in the Philippines, authorities said yesterday.
A blast from what is believed to be an improvised bomb caused the deaths in the town of Sumisip on the volatile southern island of Basilan two hours before midnight on Tuesday, police said.
Troops and police said the blast ripped through a party at the residence of Manuel Cisneros, a pro-government volunteer militiaman and driver for a nearby Catholic church.
Police said the motive for the attack was not clear, although Cisneros had apparently been helping protect rubber plantation workers from extortion by armed gangs including the Abu Sayyaf.
“We suspect it was the Abu Sayyaf,” provincial police chief Senior Superintendent Mario Dapilloza said over DZBB radio in Manila, describing the blast as “very powerful”.
However, investigators were also considering the possibility of an accidental explosion involving a grenade carried around by the militiaman.
Elsewhere in the south, five civilians were wounded when gunmen aboard a motorcycle lobbed a grenade outside a church in the town of Carmen on Mindanao island. The victims were about to attend mass. Local mayor Rogelio Talino said it was not clear whether they were targeted or whether it was a random attack.
AFP
