Blast rocks Davao del Norte school

An improvised explosive device went off near a school in Davao del Norte province early Thursday morning, but no one was hurt, police said. Philippine National Police spokesman Chief Superintendent Agrimero Cruz Jr. said the blast happened near the Tibungol Elementary School in Barangay Tibungol in Panabo City at about 5:45 a.m. Cruz said the "improvised landmine" exploded some 10 meters away from back portion of the school. The blast "slightly damaged" a stage at the back of the school, he said. Authorities also recovered a 50-meter electrical wire and four "suyak" or sharpened bamboos. An initial investigation showed that two still unidentified men were seen running away from the blast site and toward a banana plantation behind the school. As of posting time, police and military personnel were securing and gathering evidence from the blast site, Cruz said. - Mark D. Merueñas/KBK, GMA News