By:Jim Lloyd Dongiapon
A bombing incident inside a Yellow Bus Lane unit occurred 12:30 PM today, May 26, near KCC Mall of Marbel along General Paulino Santos Drive, Koronadal City, South Cotabato, leaving two (2) people injured.
According to one of the four (4) passengers on board in a local radio station interview, they were from Tacurong City, Sultan Kudarat en route to Koronadal.
Before they reached Koronadal City, the bus conductor had already noticed a heavy baggage full of shoes, but he threw it as no other passenger was claiming it.
When they were already approaching KCC Mall, where they should be offboarding, the back portion of the bus suddenly exploded.
The bus driver, conductor, and the passengers were unharmed. However, two (2) tricycle drivers next to the bus were caught in the explosion, leaving them wounded.
They were immediately rushed to a nearby hospital for the treatment of their injuries.
Personnel from Koronadal City Police Station immediately cordoned the area for investigation. They also took the luggage left inside the bus for further inspection.
Koronadal CPS is also currently reviewing the CCTV footage that captured the incident.
Reports on the ground said that the explosion was caused by an improvised explosive device (IED). This is yet to be confirmed by Koronadal CPS.
Meanwhile, Bernard Bolanio, the operations manager of YBL, said they cannot identify the motive behind the bombing since they have not received any threat prior to the incident.
On the other hand, another explosion near an eatery at Barangay Calean, Tacurong City happened minutes after the detonation of an IED in Koronadal, resulting in the closure of the exit road in the area.
Authorities are still investigating if these two bombing incidents are related.