
ZAMBOANGA CITY (Mindanao Examiner / Apr. 26, 2012) – Five children were injured after a homemade explosive they were playing exploded in the southern Philippine city of Zamboanga, village officials and relatives said Friday.
One of the children, Kyril Pilanga, 10, has his arm severely damaged from the blast which occurred late Thursday in the village of Lunzuran. “The arm was severely damaged from the blast,” said village chieftain Joel Jose.
A relative, Dennis Balatbat, said Pilanga was toying with his homemade explosive with his friends when it exploded.
“It was really an accident. This boy, who dreamed to becoming an inventor someday, was showing off this small explosive, made from matches and various ingredients and lighted it in front of his friends and it exploded,” he told the Mindanao Examiner.
Jose, also the boy’s relative, rushed the children to the hospital, Balatbat said.
“Guess, the boy learned a very hard lesson not to play around with explosive. His arm, the doctors said, will have to be amputated,” he said. (Mindanao Examiner)