Bomb blast inside CDO police HQ 'accidental'

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – Authorities ruled out the possibility that Friday's explosion inside the headquarters of the police's Regional Mobile Force Battalion (RMFB) here was an act of sabotage.

“There was no human intervention. It was likely that the explosion was caused by a chemical reaction,” said Lt. Colonel Mardy Hortillosa, the Police Regional Office-10 spokesperson, on Saturday.

Hortillosa said about 50 stored bombs and other ordnance exploded inside the RFMB camp in Barangay Indahag, causing alarm among the residents living nearby.

Citing an initial report provided by the Explosive Ordnance Disposal investigation team, Hortillosa said it was not probable that the explosion was triggered by human intervention as there would have been casualties if that were the case.

He said the unexploded ordnance (UXO) were stored in a shed made of wood and galvanized iron sheets located a few meters from the RMFB office. The blast did not damage the main building itself, including its living quarters and armory.

The police official admitted that the explosive storage facility was not the ideal place to stock bombs and other explosives.

He said the storage site should have been situated at least three kilometers away from any building or a populated area.

Hortillosa said the storage should have also been made of solid materials.

Last month, he said Explosive and Ordnance Division experts from the Philippine National Police (PNP) headquarters inspected the facility and recommended that the UXOs be disposed of.

“But before these bombs could be disposed of, the explosion happened,” Hortillosa said, adding the remaining UXOs inside the camp has been disposed of. (PNA)