Blast kills 4 hunters in Lanao del Sur

Philippine Star – December 21, 2020 – 9:35AM

LANAO DEL SUR, Philippines — Four men hunting wild pigs were killed in a powerful explosion in a forested area in Madalum town in Lanao del Sur on Sunday.

In separate statements Monday, the Lanao del Sur and Lanao del Norte provincial police offices identified the fatalities as Leo Baloro, 24, Nito Bacayan, 22, Lito Angcap, 22, and the 32-year-old Francis Alcaba, who died from severe blast injuries.

Police Maj. Salman Saad, Lanao del Norte provincial police spokesperson, said the four men were residents of Bacolod town.

The explosion is rumored to have been from a landmine, possibly placed by the Dawlah Islamiya.

Police and military intelligence units are also validating reports that the victims were abducted in Sitio Bangko in Barangay Tongan-Tongan, Madalum, tied together and killed with an improvised explosive device.

Brig. Gen. Samuel Rodriguez, director of the Police Regional Office-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, said Monday the Lanao del Sur provincial police enlisted the help of local officials in Madalum in putting closure to the incident.

SOURCE: https://www.philstar.com/nation/2020/12/21/2065370/blast-kills-4-hunters-lanao-del-sur