5 killed, 30 injured as car bomb explodes in Cotabato

COTABATAO CITY, Philippines - At least five people were killed and some 30 others were wounded  when a  car bomb exploded past 4 p.m. along Sinsuat Avenue in Cotabato City on Monday.

The slain policeman was identified as SPO3 Manambuay, a member of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) police,  who was passing by when the bomb went off.

One of the 30 people injured is a police officer, Chief Inspector Abubakar Mangelen Jr., also a passerby.

An escort of the mayor’s sibling, City Administrator Cynthia Guiani-Sayadi, who was riding separate motorcycles, were killed in the blast, which also injured some 30 others, some of them children who were on their way home from school.

Initial reports said the explosion came from a parked multi-cab vehicle in front of the Villa Funeral Parlor along the highway. Investigators said the bomb was likely set off from a distance as the car and escorts of Cotabato City Mayor Japal Guiani Jr. were passing by.

A television report said the blast destroyed five vehicles while fire has already spread to several houses.

The other vehicles that were burned due to the explosion include a mini-dump truck and a sports-utility vehicle, according to a Philippine News Agency report. Passing motorcycles were also hurled by the impact of the explosion.

The report added that the car bomb went off as the vehicle of  Guiani-Sayadi was passing the area.

Authorities are currently in the area investigating the incident.