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ZAMBOANGA CITY (MindaNews/20 September) – Three people were killed while another was wounded when a powerful bomb ripped through a passenger bus late Friday afternoon in this city, police said.
The fatalities were identified as bus conductor Meliton Orquijo, 57, and Hudson Guinilac, 21, and Alison Saavedra, 19, both bus washers, according to Police Station 10 commander Insp. Chester Natividad.
Wounded was Doming De Jesus, 63, the driver of the bus with body number 2871 of the D’ Biel Transit that plies to Labuan from the city proper and vice-versa.
Natividad said that the bus had just arrived at the D’ Biel Transit garage when the bomb exploded at around 5:50 p.m. Friday.
He said the bus came from the city proper.
Natividad said the improvised bomb was placed in a bag that was left under the third row from the driver’s seat.
The explosion also destroyed the other buses parked inside the garage, he said.
All the possible motives are looked into as investigation continues, the police official said.
The bus explosion came as the armed conflict in Zamboanga was on Day 12 after Moro National Liberation Front members loyal to founding chair Nur Misuari laid siege to some coastal parts of the city since September 9. (MindaNews)