Blast rips through market in Philippine south

Manila, Oct 15: An explosion ripped through a busy market early today in the southern Philippines causing minor damage but no injuries, police said, adding another improvised bomb was also found in the same area.

Seven people were killed and more than 30 wounded when three explosive devices fashioned from 81mm mortar rounds went off last week in three urban centres on the southern island of Mindanao, blamed by the authorities on radical Muslim militants.

No group has claimed responsibility for today's blast at a public market in Pagadian City in Zamboanga del Sur province, but there were Muslim rebels operating outside the port city.

''We're still investigating to determine the motive for the attack,'' Chief Inspector Oscar Buenaobra, chief of police, told reporters. ''The explosives used in the attack were different from those that went off in Cotabato City, Makilala and Tacurong.'' He said bombs last week were detonated by mobile phones but those found in the market used timing devices.

Buenaobra said a garbage man found an explosive device made from a round of B40 rocket propelled grenade inside a thrash bin three hours before it was timed to go off. Bomb experts defused it two hours after it was discovered.

While the bomb was being disarmed, another device made from an M79 grenade exploded in the same area but caused no injuries because soldiers and police officers had cordoned off the market.

''We're lucky because these devices were found earlier,'' said Buenaobra. ''These bombs could have killed many people because the market is packed on Sundays.'' Buenaobra said it would be premature to speculate the Islamic militants from Abu Sayyaf, suspected to have carried out the bombings last week, could also be involved in the market attack.

Abu Sayyaf, the smallest and most violent of four Muslim rebel groups in the Philippines, has been sheltering members of JI in the south and around 6,000 troops, backed by US advisers, have been trying since August 1 to flush them out.

Last month, security officials warned Abu Sayyaf could launch bomb attacks in key urban centres in the south in retaliation for more offensives.

The Philippines, a largely Catholic country, is fighting communist and Muslim insurgencies, which have killed more than 160,000 people since the late 1960s.

REUTERS