Two children were killed while four others, including their parents, were injured when after a mortar explosion in Datu Saudi Ampatuan in Maguindanao.
According to Police Lt. Melvin Laguting, chief of police of Datu Saudi Ampatuan, they received a report that an 81mm mortar exploded at Tambac family residence in Barangay Kitango at around 3:30 pm, Sunday.
“Based on our investigation, there was a mortar shelling, and the target appeared to be the house of the victims,” said Laguting in an interview over DZBB.
The victims’ house is located near a public market.
Laguting said the two fatalities were siblings aged seven and 10. He also said one of the kids died on the spot while the other succumbed to severe injuries in the local hospital.
“Their parents were also injured,” said Laguting. “We are still conducting an investigation to identify the perpetrators.”
The military said the mortar explosion in Maguindanao could be related to the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters, a breakaway faction of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.
On May 5, two children also died after playing with a grenade they found while looking for swamp birds in Barangay Sampao, Maguindanao.
Reports said the barangay is where many gunfights between government soldiers and different terrorist groups occurred in the past years.
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Pinay nurse wounded in artillery fire in Libya
A 60-year-old Pinay nurse was wounded after shrapnel from an artillery fire hit her in Libya on Saturday afternoon, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs.
The nurse, who sustained a shoulder injury, is the third among Filipinos injured in the ongoing riots in Tripoli that began more than a year ago, according to Philippine Embassy Chargè d’Affaires Elmer Cato.
The artillery round exploded outside the housing compound where Pinay and other Filipino hospital workers were staying, according to the DFA.
The embassy has advised Filipinos in Libya to remain alert and to guard areas where there are reports of explosions and exchange of gunfire.
They are also advised to stay indoors or evacuate to a safe place first.
It is estimated that there are more than 1,000 Filipinos in Tripoli and the surrounding areas, most of whom work in hospitals.