Mysterious Manila port explosion kills 1

A man was killed by a mysterious explosion at a shipping terminal in Manila’s North Harbor late Thursday.

Police investigators said port worker Alex Catigan was fixing the tire of a forklift when he was killed. The blast threw Catigan several meters away. He died of a fractured skull.

A colleague, Domingo Colangan, told the police that he was helping Catigan shortly before he was killed. He later left Catigan and was startled by an explosion behind him.

Colangan looked back and saw Catigan’s bloodied body several meters away from the forklift. Catigan apparently died instantly.

Explosives experts from the Manila Police District are helping investigators determine how the blast started. — Nestor Etolle