20 killed & 111 wounded in 2 bomb explosions in a cathedral in Philippines

Monday, January 28, 2019

A Roman Catholic cathedral on a southern Philippines was rocked by 2 bombs leaving 20 dead and 111 wounded. The explosion happened during a Sunday Mass.

The first blast inside the Jolo cathedral injured churchgoers and led to stampede. Within a minute another bomb went off near the main entrance causing more deaths and injuries. Army troops and the police posted outside were rushing in when the second bomb blasted. It is expected that it was attached to parked motorcycle.

As per the reports, the fatalities included 15 civilians and five troops. The wounded included 17 troops, two police, two coast guard and 90 civilians.

The initial explosion scattered the wooden pews and blasted window glass panels, while the second bomb strew human remains and debris across a town square in front of the Cathedral of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.

The office of President Rodrigo Duterte said in Manila, “We will pursue to the ends of the earth the ruthless perpetrators behind this dastardly crime until every killer is brought to justice and put behind bars. The law will give them no mercy,”

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana in a statement said, “I have directed our troops to heighten their alert level, secure all places of worships and public places at once, and initiate pro-active security measures to thwart hostile plans.”

Security officials were looking at different threat groups and they still can’t say if this has something to do with the just concluded plebiscite.

The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has claimed responsibility for the twin bombing in Jolo, Sulu. It said the ISIS claimed the responsibility through its ‘Amaq News Agency.’

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