Man loses fingers in grenade blast

CEBU, Philippines - The curiosity of a 45-year-old man caused him to lose the fingers on his left hand when a hand grenade exploded inside a black bag which he found at a garbage site behind their kitchenette along Osmeña Boulevard, Cebu City, shortly before 1:00 yesterday afternoon.

Luther Labares was injured when the detonator of the M67 fragmentation grenade exploded. Fortunately, his five-month-old niece who was sleeping on a hammock nearby was unharmed.

Labares was rushed to the Cebu City Medical Center for treatment.

SPO4 Raymundo Capangpangan, team leader of the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT), said that as Labares checked the hand grenade, he accidentally loosened the detonator.

“Nakahungaw na daan unya wala na kadaug ang pressure maong nalagpot  ang safety lever ug ang pull ring. (It was already leaking and due to the pressure, the safety lever and pull ring became detached),” Capangpangan said.

SWAT personnel also recovered a wig, an underwear, one .22 bullet of .22 revolver inside the same bag.

Police however, could not determine who owned the bag because there was no identification card inside.

Sr. Insp. Chuck Barandog, Fuente Police chief, said it was around 12:40 p.m. when they were alarmed by a loud explosion coming from the back portion of the kitchenette a few meters away from their station.

Barandog thought there was a shooting incident but upon verification, they saw grenade fragments.

“Possibly nga gikan sa region (Police Regional Office, PRO-7) but we still have to investigate further,” he said.

Chief Supt. Marcelo Garbo, PRO-7 director, said they will be conducting investigation as to where the hand grenade came from and if it was owned by the Armed Forces of the Philippines or by the Philippine National Police.

“We will trace how the item napunta kay Luther as well as kung bakit napunta sa basurahan ang grenade,” Garbo said. (FREEMAN)