At least three killed, 10 others wounded in blast in Rosario, Cavite

By Ronron
January 28, 2008

At least three persons died and 10 others were wounded in a blast at noon yesterday inside an apartment building in Rosario, Cavite believed to be caused by piled dynamites used in illegal fishing, town officials said.

Rosario Mayor Jose Ricafrente, Jr. said in a radio interview that the incident happened at around 12:30 pm in Barangay Wawa I, killing instantly three occupants of the residential building where the blast emanated.

Town police chief Supt. Edgar Roquero said in a phone interview that the blast happened inside a two-storey concrete building that have three adjacent apartment units.

The seat of explosion was particularly at the ground floor of the apartment unit in the middle, he said. The blast left this particular unit totally wrecked.

Both Ricafrente and Roquero theorize that the cause of the explosion is dynamite because of the recovered blasting caps and detonators, and the smell of black powder at the site.

Roquero said personnel from the Crime Laboratory and the Explosives Ordnance Division have begun investigation on the actual cause of the incident.

Ricafrente suspect that the two men whose bodies were found under the rubbles could be illegal fishermen who were preparing dynamites then.

Barangay Wawa I is near the shoreline, Ricafrente noted.

While Ricafrente said the death toll later rose to five, Roquero said he has yet to validate if indeed there were additional fatalities to the original three. Both agree, though, that 10 were hurt in the incident.

The injured victims were brought to at least two hospitals for medical treatment./DMS