Motorcycle rider killed in Zamboanga bomb blast

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines — A motorcycle rider was killed when an improvised explosive device (IED) believed rigged in his vehicle exploded in a coastal village in Tukuran, Zamboanga del Sur before dawn yesterday.

The explosion, which occurred at around 2:01 a.m. in Purok Gemilina, Barangay Lower Bayao, destroyed a variety store, according to Lt. Col. Helen Galvez, spokesperson for the Zamboanga peninsula police.

“Responding police officers found a body at the scene of the incident,” Galvez said, quoting reports submitted by the Tukuran municipal police.

Residents initially told police there were two fatalities after seeing a severed torso of a man near the wreckage of the motorcycle.

Witnesses said they saw a white van heading toward a cemetery shortly after the explosion.

Police recovered a bag of ammonium nitrate near the scene of the explosion.

Probers have yet to confirm reports that the IED was placed inside the utility box of the motorcycle.

Police stations in nearby areas have been advised to set up checkpoints to prevent possible suspects in a white van from escaping.

Probers have yet to identify the fatality and determine the target of and motive for the attack.