Another bus blown up in South Cotabato

By Ronron
September 18, 2007

Another unit of the Yellow Bus Line was blown up Tuesday morning in Koronadal City, South Cotabato by suspected extortionists, police said.

But there were no reported casualties, nor any major damages on the bus as “it is safe to say that it was not meant to harm,” said city police director Supt. Florendo Quidilla, Jr.

Quidilla said the explosion happened inside Yellow Bus Line Unit A-106, an air-conditioned bus, while it was parked at the Yellow Bus Terminal along General Santos Drive in Koronadal City.

The incident occurred at around 10:47 am, minutes after the air-conditioned bus arrived from Tacurong City in Sultan Kudarat and while a few more passengers are alighting.

The suspect/s allegedly used a “cellphone-operated explosive device,” placed at seat row 18 of the bus, which is near the rear portion.

Quidilla said only a small hole was left at the seat after the blast.

“We don’t know yet if it was triggered by a call or it was already timed,” he said.

The police chief said they are linking the incident to the extortion try of the Al-Khobar Group since a person, who claimed to be a member of said group, immediately called the bus line management at 2pm.

Police are now investigating who could have left the device, noting that it was a non-stop bus from Tacurong City to Koronadal City.

Yellow bus line units have been bombed since July of this year, hurting only a few people./DMS