Boy, 2 others hurt in Tacurong bomb attack

TACURONG CITY, Philippines - Three were hurt, one of them a three-year-old child, in an explosion that rocked the city at about 2:00 p.m. Tuesday and caused panic in the surroundings.

Investigators identified the victims as Freddie Tumindig, 42, Nicole Fobar, 19, and three-year-old Patrick Pepito, who sustained shrapnel wounds in different parts of their bodies.

The Army-led anti-crime Task Force Talakudung, which is based in Tacurong City, said the improvised explosive device (IED) used in the attack was planted underneath a black Toyota car parked along Jose Abad Santos Street in city proper.

The IED, fashioned from explosive charges packed with nails and fragments of cast iron with jagged edges, was set off from a distance using a mobile phone.

Superintendent Ranie Hachuela, chief of the Tacurong City police, said investigators are yet to determine the culprits and their motive for the bombing.

He said investigators are still gathering information on the incident from people near the scene where the IED went off.