2 hurt as blast hit Catholic Church in Esperanza, Sultan Kudarat
Local News • 17:56 PM Sun Nov 27, 2016
1,499
By:
Ferdinandh Cabrera and Edwin Fernandez
Photo courtesy of Mr.Manan and Esperanza Redthunder)
ESPERANZA, Sultan
Kudarat – Two Church goers were slightly injured when an improvised
bomb exploded in front of a Catholic Church here Sunday morning, police said.
Supt. Romeo
Galgo, speaking for police in Central Mindanao, said the bomb explosion
occurred at 6:40 a.m. in front of the main entrance of Our Lady of Hope Church
in Barangay Zaliao.
It was a
cellphone detonated IED (improvised explosive device), Galgo said. sand//scontent.fceb2-2.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/15171038_341494196225296_7826757449570398451_n.jpg?oh=320ffe590e6b746a01d1f42cd1180470andampoe=58B86375 Mayor Helen
Latog of Esperanza said church goers were going out of the Church on the first
Sunday of Advent when the blast occurred.
The church goers
were lucky that a car was parked across the main entrance to fetch someone,
Latog said in a phone interview. A Mitsubishi Adventure parked across the street cushion the impact of the blast.Police said the IED was placed in a back packed and hanged on a cyclone fence across the street. The Adventure stand between the IED and the entrance of the Church.She said the
car served as blocking object but two of its passengers were hurt. Identities of
the victims are not yet available as of posting.
sand//scontent.fceb2-2.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/15219382_341494092891973_7748488922559379097_n.jpg?oh=c1f9d9b0e0394a022b510e9652c989d0andampoe=58C53480 Police and
Army bomb experts are still on side conducting post blast investigation.
Nobody claimed
responsibility for the attack.
A police
intelligence officer said it could be a diversionary tactic as the military
launched air and ground assaults against Maute terrorist group in Lanao del Sur.