BASILAN (Mindanao Examiner / Jan. 1, 2014) – A powerful bomb explosion killed 7 people and wounded 9 more in the restive province of Basilan in the southern Philippines, the military said on Wednesday.
Captain Jefferson Somera, a spokesman for the 1st Infantry Division, said the blast was caused by an improvised explosive planted outside the house of a pro-government militia Manuel Cisneros in the village of Tumahubong in Sumisip town.
He said the explosion occurred during the New Year party of Cisneros. “It was a powerful explosion and the blast killed seven people, including a child, and wounded nine others. We are investigating the attack and the group behind it,” Somera told the regional newspaper Mindanao Examiner.
No individual or group claimed responsibility for the attack, but rebel groups are actively operating in Basilan, one of five provinces under the Muslim autonomous region.
The explosion occurred despite a tight security being implemented by the police and military in the province for the yuletide season. Basilan has been previously bombed many times by rebels. (Mindanao Examiner)
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