3 minors, grandma die in Isabela grenade blast

BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya, Philippines — An 85-year-old grandmother and three children were killed when a rifle grenade exploded in Roxas, Isabela on Sunday.

Four other children were wounded and are being treated in a hospital.

Initial investigation showed that the children were playing in Sitio Raniag when they found an unidentified object in a drainage canal.

One of the boys struck the object against a rock, triggering the explosion at around 9 a.m., killing him instantly. The two other children and the elderly who were just passing by also died at the scene.

Isabela police chief Col. Manuel Bringas said an investigation is ongoing to determine how the rifle grenade ended up in the canal.

Bringas warned people against touching unfamiliar objects and to coordinate with the police when they find one.

“Please advise your children not to touch or play with anything resembling ammunition, a grenade or suspected explosive,” Bringas urged parents and guardians.

Meanwhile, in Southern Leyte, four people died and 17 others were injured when the truck they were riding on their way to a family get-together crashed into a tree along a downhill portion of Barangay Tubod in Silago town on Saturday.

Police said the truck driver lost control of the brakes after the engine stalled. — Emmanuel Tupas, Miriam Desacada