ISABELA CITY (Mindanao Examiner / Jan. 27, 2014) – Four people were wounded in a grenade explosion in the southern Philippine province of Basilan, police said Monday.
Police said the explosion occurred on the island of Malamawi, just several nautical miles off Isabela City, while a group of people was gathering sand.
A 23-year old man, Alsibar Usman, said he recovered the grenade in the village of Marang-Marang while gathering sand, but it exploded after picking it up, and wounded him and his companions – Soraida Usman, 38; and Ridzman Usman, 20 – all were working for Jundam Yusop.
Police said the victims sustained multiple shrapnel wounds from the blast and were brought to Basilan General Hospital in Isabela City. It was not immediately known who owned the grenade, but police said the explosive was likely an MK2 fragmentation grenade.
In Zamboanga City, two separate explosions over the weekend damaged the house of Mohammad Nur Attang in Tictabon and Mampang villages. Police said no casualties were reported in the twin attacks.
Attang is the village chieftain of Tictabon Island, just a few nautical miles off Zamboanga City.
The motive of the attacks is still unknown and no individual or group claimed responsibility for the blasts and police were investigating the type of explosives used in the attacks.
It was unknown whether the blasts had anything to do with family feud or Atang’s work in the village of Tictabon. (With a report from E. Dumabo)
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