Thursday, September 20, 2007 Bus blast caused by a cellphone: military By Ben O. Tesiorna With Peng Aliño
THE explosion inside a Yellow Bus Lines Inc. (YBL) unit in Koronadal City, South Cotabato Tuesday was caused by a mobile phone and not a bomb, the military said.
Major Rodrigo Sosmeña, spokesman of the Armed Forces of the Philippine's Eastern Mindanao Command, said blast investigation showed that the explosion was caused by a "cellular phone with some wiring circuits but without explosive components."
The mobile phone was placed inside a cushioned seat of the bus.
"It was meant to frighten the bus management or for sabotage purposes," Sosmeña said.
The explosion happened last Tuesday around 11:30 a.m. No one was injured as the passengers had already embarked from the bus when the explosion occurred.
Tuesday's attack was the fourth for the company, which implemented stricter security measures following the August 3 twin bombings that killed a pastor and injured 14 others.
The air-conditioned YBL bus unit came from nearby Tacurong City in Sultan Kudarat province.
