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Bomb in bus kills two in Philippines

ILIGAN: Two children were killed and 11 wounded when a bomb exploded on a mini-bus in the 11th bombing incident in the southern Philippines in the past month, the army said on Sunday.

The bus was about to leave a terminal in Tubod town, Lanao del Norte province, on Saturday night when a home-made bomb exploded inside the vehicle, army spokesman Lieutenant Jerry Cabatan said.

A 15-year-old boy seen running away from the scene after the blast was detained for questioning, he said.

An eight-year-old girl was killed instantly in the explosion while a five-year-old boy who was seriously wounded died in a hospital early on Sunday.

Investigators declined to say what the motive for the bombing might be or if it was linked to any of the 10 previous bombing incidents in the southern region since last month.

Police blamed Moslem extremists for most of the earlier bombings which occurred in public places, including Roman Catholic churches, in the largely Christian Zamboanga city and on Basilan island.

No one was killed in those attacks but several people were wounded in what police said was a campaign apparently to scare but not maim people.-Reuter