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Akbar died while being treated at the Far Eastern University hospital in Quezon City. The former Basilan governor sustained a fractured forehead, jaw and lower leg, according to the report.
The driver of Gabriela Rep. Luzviminda Ilagan, identified as Marcial Tando, was also killed in the blast which de Venecia said was “an attack against Congress” and which he condemned "in the strongest possible term."
Ilagan sustained shrapnel wounds on her legs and back, in the explosion from the south wing lobby of the Batasang Pambansa in Quezon City. But Ilagan spoke on television confirming she was out of harm's way.
The blast happened minutes after the end of a session.House Majority Floor Leader Prospero Nograles told MindaNews all other representatives from Mindanao were accounted for.
As of 11p.m., Negros Oriental Rep. Henry Teves, was in critical condition after sustaining severe blast injuries and burns following the explosion. He was brought to St. Luke’s Hospital in another part of Quezon City.
Police accounted eight others were hurt in the explosion, which blew off a little past 8p.m., minutes after a session of the House.
Akbar was born on April 16, 1960 in Lantawan, Basilan. He was elected governor in 1998 and was reelected in 2001 and 2004.
He was on his first term as representative of the lone district of Basilan. (Walter I. Balane/MindaNews)