racha Posted March 4, 2003 Report Share Posted March 4, 2003 Just saw on TV 19 dead so far, the report below says 15 so the body count maybe going up, bbc report Blast rocks Philippines airport The injured were rushed to Davao hospital An explosion has ripped through Davao City airport on the southern Philippine island of Mindanao, killing at least 15 people. More than 50 others are said to have been injured, among them children. The explosion occurred at around 5:15pm (0915 GMT) in a packed waiting area, airport authorities said. "It was a very, very loud explosion," said airport official Terry Labado. She said she saw "bodies flying". The BBC correspondent in Manila, John McLean, said Philippine security forces said the blast was caused by a bomb. But there is still no information about who was to blame for the explosion. In the past, rebels from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front have been blamed by the military for a string of attacks on the island, including a car-bomb explosion at Cotabato airport last month, which killed one and injured another six people. The Abu Sayyaf militant group - and another two factional organisations - have also been blamed for attacks in the region. Rebel unrest Tuesday's explosion "happened ... a few minutes after a Cebu Pacific flight arrived," an airport security official told the Associated Press news agency. Many of the victims, have been rushed to the Davao City Medical Centre, according to local television reports. Flights to and from Davao were suspended until further notice. Shortly after the attack two further explosions were reported at a bus station and government clinic, though there were no reports of serious injuries. A spokesman for Philippines President Gloria Arroyo said she "strongly condemns the Davao bombing as a brazen act of terrorism which shall not go unpunished." Davao city, about 1,000 km (600 miles) south of Manila, is the largest city on the island of Mindanao, and has a largely Christian population and a reputation for relative calm. Mindanao island is mired in factional fighting, with government troops clashing regularly with Muslim separatist rebels. The rebels have been fighting for a separate Muslim homeland in the southern Philippines for three decades. The Philippine army said on Tuesday it had killed 14 rebels in fighting on the island. Mindanao was also hit by a major power cut on Tuesday, for the second time in a week, amid rumours of a suspected sabotage by guerrilla groups. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
limbo Posted March 6, 2003 Report Share Posted March 6, 2003 Hi Racha, am in Kota Kinabalu/Sabah/Malaysia and saw it on tv here. Not too far away from where I am I guess. Here's everything quiet tho. The beer ain't cheap........ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 6, 2003 Report Share Posted March 6, 2003 I read about it on the BBC web site as I'll be in PI (Manila) between 16th and 21st March. The FCO web site states that it is still safe to travel to Manila but to be aware of possible terrorist action. http://www.fco.gov.uk Thaipan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gobbledonk Posted March 6, 2003 Report Share Posted March 6, 2003 Another beautiful part of the world fucked up by fanaticism. I vote that we ban all forms of ism from this day forth, with the possible exception of humanism. I'd also like to thank the Spanish for, yet again, laying the groundwork for poverty and turmoil. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.