At least 1 dead, 19 hurt in Zamboanga bus blast

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (UPDATED) – At least one person was killed and 19 hurt in a bus explosion in Zamboanga City on Friday, September 18.

The Zamboanga city government said in its Twitter account that based on the initial investigation, a Biel Transit bus “suddenly exploded upon arrival” at the Labuan Terminal in Tomas Claudio Street at 2:15 pm.

“Please remain calm and vigilant,” the city government urged the public.

It placed the initial count of injured passengers at 17. They were brought  to different hospitals for treatment.

Zamboanga police later issued a list of 19 people who were wounded in the explosion, including 7-month-old Wayne Lumigi, and one-year-old Farnisha Jain. The rest are the following:

• Aida Goseng
• Raida Goseng
• Muhari Nasari
• Margie Lumigi
• Sandalyn Lumigi
• Muktar Morales
• Marissa Cuevas
• Hassan Cuevas
• Rowena Andaya
• Benhar Sampang
• Felix Paralioc
• Ornaisa Jain
• Alvin Jain
• Julio Jones
• Eddie Main Lopez
• Abner Jakaria
• Jarwan Asiluddin

Authorities are investigating the blast area, and the kind of explosive used.
Clearing operations are ongoing.

Tomas Claudio Street was the site of a couple of blasts last year – one involving an incident wherein two improvised explosive devices went off in a massage parlor on November 9, 2014, injuring a bomb squad member who responded to the incident.

Another blast in the area took place on December 29, 2014, but there were no reports of casualties or damages.  – with a report from Richard Falcatan/Rappler.com