Blast kills 2 kids in Pasig

Two boys were killed while another was critically wounded after a fragmentation grenade they found in a pile of garbage exploded in Pasig City yesterday.

Joemer Torres, 11 and Jefferson Remorin, 12, were declared dead on arrival at the Arnaiz General Hospital in Pasig City.

The other boy, Mark Ferdinand Manalo, 10, lost his right hand and sustained severe leg injuries from the blast.

He is now fighting for his life at the Amang Rodriguez Medical Center in Marikina City.

Torres and Remorin were Grade 6 pupils at the Manggahan Elementary School in Pasig City.

Since there were no classes yesterday, the three boys went out to gather plastic containers, pieces of paper and other items they intend to sell to earn extra money.

"Marami silang napulot kaya’t masaya silang naglalakad sa kalye papunta doon sa junk shop," a witness said.

But the junk shop located at the corner of Kaibigan Road and Kaginhawaan street in Karangalan Village, Barangay Manggahan was still closed at 10 a.m.

The boys decided to wait until it opened for business.

"While the boys were waiting, they noticed a pile of garbage and decided to sift through it in the hope of finding more items to sell," one witness told police investigators.

What the boys found was a 40 mm grenade, which they tried to break open.

They attempted to break the lead slug from its housing by using rocks and metal pipes, witnesses said.

The grenade then exploded.

All three were still breathing when rushed to the hospitals by bystanders, police said.

Elements of the Scene of the Crime Operatives, headed by Senior Inspector Ruzzel Leysa, conducted a field examination of the blast scene.

Senior Superintendent Francisco Uyami Jr., Pasig City police chief, said the investigators collected fragments to try to find out the source of the grenade.