ZAMBOANGA CITY – Two people were reported injured late Monday in a powerful bomb explosion that ripped through a small building in the southern Philippine city of Zamboanga, security and government officials said.
Officials said the blast damaged a room of the Princess Massage in the building that also houses the De Luxe Massage and Karaoke Bar in Tomas Claudio Street which was also bombed in November 9. Radio reports said 2 persons were rushed to hospital for minor injuries.
Establishment workers were seen rushing out of the building as policemen and soldiers quickly set up a perimeter line to prevent kibitzers from getting near the area. Police cars were seen ferrying some people, including minors, from the site.
Ambulance cars were also spotted in the area as police bomb squad members carefully searched the place for bomb fragments and pieces of evidence that will help them in their investigation.
The site is just a block away from the main police department in downtown Zamboanga.
Mayor Maria Isabelle Salazar, including police and military commanders, also rushed to the scene to personally see the situation. Salazar said the blast was caused by an improvised explosive device.
“An IED explosion occured at Room 7 of Princess Massage adjacent to De Luxe Massage and Videoke Bar located along Tomas Claudio Street. Bomb Squad and Zamboanga City Police Office elements immediately responded to the scene of the explosion to cordon and secure the area for possible secondary explosion,” she said.
Her spokeswoman, Shiela Covarrubias, also said: “The public is urged to remain calm, but vigilant in the light of the Tomas Claudio blast. Investigation of the incident is ongoing. Police and military authorities are in control of the situation.”
Superintendent Ariel Huesca, of the local police force, said several persons were being investigated in connection with the blast. He said bomb experts were still gathering evidence to determine the cause of the explosion. “We have invited several persons and are questioning them about the blast,” he said.
Last month, a member of the police bomb squad was wounded when an improvised explosive device went off inside the bar as he and his dog searched for bombs. A second bomb also exploded in the massage parlor, but no one was injured in the blast blamed by the police and military to the Abu Sayyaf rebels. (Mindanao Examiner – With a report from Ely Dumaboc)
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