CAGAYAN – Barely had the police issued a warning against touching unexploded ordnance which have been discovered in the aftermath of the flooding in the province that a 60mm mortar went off inside a house in Barangay Mission in Teresita, Cagayan, on Thursday, November 26.
Sta. Teresita Municipal Police Chief Capt. Ranolfo S. Gabatin reported that the mortar exploded inside the residence of the Siruno family when Roldan and his son Mark Terrence tried to dismantle the vintage explosive.
The vintage bomb was reportedly found by the Sirunos in the hilly portion of Barangay Mission a few days earlier.
“Hindi napigilan ng bata na lagariin sa kabila nang sabihan ito na isurender na lang sa authorities ng mga kapitbahay, at inakalang baka may lamang ginto sa loob (The child tried to saw into the mortar despite the advice of neighbors to just surrender it to authorities, they thought there was gold inside it),“ P/Staff Sergeant Christian Seguro told The Manila. Bulletin.
The victims were rushed to the Alfonso Ponce Enrile Memorial District Hospital in Gonzaga, Cagayan, for medication, and were later transferred to Cagayan Valley Medical Center in Tuguegarao for thorough medical attention.
Police Regional Office 2 (PRO-2) had earlier issued a warning to all Cagayan residents not to attempt to handle unexploded ordnance, many of which have been discovered after a massive flooding hit parts of the province due to typhoon Ulysses earlier this month.