2 die, 1 seriously hurt in Masbate blast

LEGAZPI CITY—(UPDATE) Masbate police clarified that two people died and one was seriously wounded (not three fatalities as earlier reported by the Bicol police) when an explosive device they were making blew up Sunday in Barangay (village) Panique, Aroroy, a mining town in Masbate.

Interviewed over the phone, Senior Superintendent Thomas Semeniano, Masbate provincial police director, identified the two killed as Reje and Willy—both surnamed Refil—and the seriously wounded as Raymund Relos.

Semeniano said the victims were making an explosive for use in mining in a nipa hut in Panique when the explosion occurred.

Reje was killed on the spot while Willy and Relos were rushed to a nearby hospital. Willy was declared dead on arrival in the hospital but Relos, who was erroneously reported as also dead, was in critical condition and undergoing treatment at the Masbate provincial hospital.

Report said the three were involved in the illegal manufacture of explosives used by small-scale miners in Aroroy.

Police, however, have yet to confirm reports that one of the victims was smoking while working on the materials. –Mar S. Arguelles
Inquirer Southern Luzon