Man carrying bomb killed as it goes off prematurely in Cotabato

COTABATO CITY – A suspected homemade bomb exploded yesterday, killing a man traveling on a motorcycle near a residential area in a southern Philippine city, police said.

The bomb, believed to be a mortar shell attached to a timer, may have gone off prematurely while concealed in the motorcycle or carried by the man driving it in Cotabato, Superintendent Paniares Adap said.

The powerful blast sent body parts flying several meters into a nearby neighborhood. It was not immediately clear whether any passers-by were wounded in the area, which was also near a commercial district, Adap told reporters.

Police immediately cordoned off the area as bomb experts arrived to investigate.

"We can only surmise that the driver was headed for the plaza about 200 meters away when the bomb exploded," Adap said. – John Unson