3 dead, 20 injured in Cotabato blast

An explosion rocked a bus terminal in Cotabato City four days after the elections, killing three people and leaving 20 others wounded, police said. The bomb exploded near the Weena Bus terminal on Magallanes Street at about 11:20 a.m. Friday. Radio station dzBB, quoting Central Mindanao police officials, said the bomb wounded scores of people who were immediately taken to nearby hospitals. The report said city officials have called for a meeting of the Crisis Management Committee in the wake of the blast. The blast, caused by an improvised explosive device, occurred near stalls outside the Weena Bus terminal on Magallanes Street, according to Supt. Jomar Yap, Central Mindanao police spokesperson. "Witnesses heard a loud explosion from one of the stores. The victims, most of them passengers and pedestrians, were rush to hospitals. Troops are now in the area. The entire city was placed on high alert," Yap said. Bomb experts have started combing through the pieces of evidence to establish the kind of explosive used. The bombing came barely a week after Australia and the United States warned their citizens of possible terror attacks in Central Mindanao. US citizens living and working in central Mindanao were urged to reassess their personal security and to keep a low profile, and should avoid public places, including high-profile events. On May 8, eight people were killed and 30 others were wounded in a bomb attack in Tacurong City in Sultan Kudarat. - GMANews.TV