-
UPDATE
COTABATO CITY (MindaNews / 11 Jan) – The five-year-old child wounded in the bus bombing in North Cotabato Tuesday morning expired while being treated in the hospital, reports said.
Six of the 20 passengers aboard Mindanao Star bus with body number 15511 were wounded when a bomb placed at the rear section of the vehicle exploded as the bus was cruising along the highway in Purok Narra, San Mateo, Aleosan, North Cotabato, the Cotabato Provincial Police Command said.
Basit Solaiman, father of five-year-old Benjamin, confirmed the death of his son in a radio interview. Basit said he was taking the body of his son home to Datu Odin Sinsuat in Maguindanao for burial.
Benjamin was among the three children hurt in the blast. The other two were identified as three-year-old Yushra Solaiman and five-month-old Haron Solaiman Jr. It was not mentioned in the police report how Benjamin was related to the other Solaiman children. But Yushra was listed as a resident of Datu Odin Sinsuat while Haron Jr. is from Kidapawan City.
Also wounded is Haron Solaiman Sr.
The two others wounded were identified as Masid Benjamin, 25, single, of Datu Odin Sinsuat, and Rodolfo R. Castillo, 67, of Toril, Davao City.
The victims were brought to the Aleosan District Hospital for treatment.
Police said they still have to determine who were behind the attack and what the motive was. (Ferdinandh Cabrera / MindaNews)