LPG truck explosion kills 22 in Philippines

MANILA, Feb 2 (Reuters) At least 22 people were killed and 10 injured after a delivery truck carrying liquified petroleum gas (LPG) exploded in the southern Philippines, a senior police officer said today.

A packed passing bus took the full force of the blast, which was triggered after the truck overturned along a highway in Tigbao, Zamboanga del Sur province, around 500 miles (800 km) south of Manila.

''Some of the fatalities could not be identified because the explosion disfigured their faces,'' provincial police director Senior Superintendant Ramon Ochotorena said in an interview on local radio.

Ochotorena said they were scouring areas around a nearby ravine for bodies after parts of the truck were found around 1,000 metres (yards) from the crash site.

He said the truck carrying the gas, used as a cooking fuel, rolled over after its brakes failed. The cause of the explosion was still being investigated.

Major Gary Lachica, a deputy battalion commander, told reporters that soldiers rushed to the scene after hearing loud blasts.

''We're helping evacuate people to safety,'' he said.

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