Two explosions rock Iligan City malls; 2 dead, 38 hurt

(Updated 5:19 p.m.) ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines - Two people were killed and 38 others were wounded Thursday afternoon in two separate explosions that rocked two major shopping centers in Iligan City. The military said at least six people were hurt, but the local Red Cross said as many as 38 people were injured in the blasts that sent Christmas shoppers out in the streets. An L-300 van was also destroyed in the attack, reports said. Army Lt. Steffani Cacho, spokesperson of the military's Western Mindanao Command, said the first bomb exploded at 1:25 p.m. inside the Unicity Commercial Center. The next explosion occurred 20 minutes later at the Jerry Supermart. She said the two fatalities were from the second bombing. "The improvised explosives were left at the baggage counters of both Unicity and Jerry's Supermart," Cacho told reporters. Police Officer 3 Abdullah Sumayan of the Iligan City police said they had already identified the fatalities who he described as "bagets" (young). He however said they are yet to inform the families of the victims. The Philippine National Red Cross (PNRC) office in Manila said 21 people were hurt. It said seven victims were rushed by PNRC-Iligan Chapter volunteers to Dr Uy Hospital while five others at the Sanitarium Hospital and another one at the E & R Hospital. An earlier radio report said three people were killed in the bombing attacks. Col. Benito de Leon, commander of the 104th Infantry Brigade, has sent bomb-sniffing dogs and explosives experts to help police in the investigations. "We have sent K9 units and bomb experts in the area to help in the investigations," he said. Suspects No group or individuals have claimed responsibility for the bombings, but previous attacks in the city had been blamed to Moro rebels and local militants trained by Jemaah Islamiyah. A military official in the region said that the attacks might have been the handiwork of lawless elements of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), noting that the components used in the explosives included mortar rounds – a known signature of the MILF. “Our suspect here are the lawless MILF group because of the type of the (improvised explosive device) that were used. That IED manifest their signature, using mortar rounds. That is our initial findings,” said Col. Nicanor Dolojan, commander of the Army’s 403rd Brigade. Last month, at least three people were also wounded in the bombings of two budget hotels - the Traveler's Inn and the Caprice Lodge – in Iligan City. Asked on the possible motive behind Thursday's attacks, Dolojan said: “Terrorism, which is their real intention, to sow terror in the area.” Dolojan said a close-circuit TV installed at the Unicity Mall was able to record two men, both wearing scarf, depositing a item at the mall’s baggage counter. The official said pictures of the suspects have been culled from the video. Dolojan said the video showed one of the men going out of the mall, apparently to deposit another item at the Jerry’s bargain center. “After depositing the items, after how many minutes, the bombs went off,” he said. - with Aie Balagtas See, GMANews.TV