Cracker blast jolts ship off Dumaguete

A loud explosion jolted passengers of a Supercat fastcraft as it neared Dumaguete City last Saturday afternoon from Dipo-log City, but no one was reported injured, the Coast Guard in Dumaguete said.

The explosion, later determined to be that of a large firecracker, occurred in a toilet in the stern of the vessel and ripped off some of the wall panels, said petty officer Moises Roxas Escubido, the junior officer of the day at the Coast Guard station in Dumaguete.

The fastcraft, Supercat 5, was due to arrive at the Dumaguete port at 6:15 p.m. after its hour-and-a-half trip from Dipolog with 78 passengers on board, Escubido told The Freeman.

According to the Coast Guard officer, the explosion occurred while the fastcraft was cruising between Tugalo and Apo islands just off Dumaguete.

After the vessel docked safely at the port of Dumaguete, a Coast Guard and Maritime Police team immediately boarded to check the site of the explosion and found an unexploded triangle firecracker amid the debris caused by the blast.

The team also combed the vessel for any other explosives but found none, and Escubido said it was not determined who planted and lit the firecrackers in the toilet.

The Coast Guard later cleared the Supercat 5 for its delayed onward trip to Cebu and the fastcraft was able to leave at 8:45 p.m. or an hour and 45 minutes late because of the incident.

The explosion aboard Supercat 5 was among four blasts recorded by the Armed Forces' Joint Operations Center (JOC) since Friday, the three others occurring in Lanao del Sur and Pagadian City.

Col. Wilfredo Nico, JOC duty officer, said a bomb went off at the Tarik bridge in Buadiposo, Lanao del Sur at about 2:30 p.m. Friday, rendering the bridge impassable and damaging the house of one Ali Sultan. No casualties were reported.

Later that day, two explosions were reported near the barangay hall and newly constructed Muslim school and mosque in Barangay Banale, Pagadian City.

Reports reaching the JOC said two motorcycle-riding men hurled the explosives and sped towards Dumalinao, Zam-boanga del Sur.

Meanwhile, the Palawan police reported that an improvised bomb exploded at the perimeter fence of the Rio Tuba Nickel Mining Corp. in Bataraza town Thursday night. The blast caused minimal damage.