ILOILO CITY – Three persons – a police officer and two civilians – were injured in an explosion that rocked the headquarters of the Iloilo City Police Office (ICPO) on Sunday morning, Jan. 8.
The injured were identified as Patrolwoman Shyrine Manuel and civilians Fernando Sabidalas and John Mark Garcia.
The victims sustained minor injuries.
“Thankfully, all the injuries were minor,” said Major Shella Mae Sangrines, ICPO spokesperson and station commander of ICPO-Police Station 1. “They were just hit with the debris,” Sangrines added.
The explosion occurred at 10:30 a.m. at the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) office on the second floor of an older building and damaged crystal windows.
“We are still investigating the cause of the incident,” said Sangrines.
The Scene-of-the-Crime Operatives (SOCO) team is gathering evidence and Sangrines said that it took a while to clear the area and let them in to gather evidence, including inventory of the items at the EOD.
The Bureau of Fire Protection-Iloilo City is working with the ICPO to find out the cause of the explosion.