Blast at southern Philippines: 22 injured

An explosion ripped through a passenger bus inside a terminal in a southern Philippine city on Wednesday, slightly injuring at least 22 people, police said.

Photo: Blast at southern Philippines: 22 injured

Blast at southern Philippines: 22 injured

The bus, with 21 passengers on board, had just arrived in Digos city, 900 kilometers (600 miles) southeast of Manila, when the blast rocked the back portion of the vehicle, said bus conductor Mike Bangcot.

Police Chief Inspector Casar Cabuhat said 22 people were taken to a hospital with minor injuries, mostly from glass splinters. The victims included bus passengers and food vendors, he said.

"Our investigation is still ongoing and we can't tell yet what type of explosive was used," Cabuhat told The Associated Press.

He said police were looking at all possible angles and had no suspects yet.

The owner of the bus, the Weena bus company, has been the victim of extortion attempts by criminal gangs, but it was not immediately clear if Wednesday's attack was linked to extortion.

Cabuhat said he was not aware of any extortion letter received by the company.

Last month, a similar explosion targeted another Weena bus, but there were no injuries, reports the AP.

I.L.