Philippine bomb kills three

ZAMBOANGA, Philippines -- A bomb has exploded in the southern Philippine city of Pagadian, killing a private security guard and two police officers trying to move it.

Thirteen people, including a 4-year-old child, were injured by shrapnel from the home-made bomb which exploded in a bus terminal on Tuesday morning, The Associated Press reports.

The device was discovered in a box inside the terminal of Pagadian, the capital of Zamboanga del Sur province, police said. Five policemen were among those injured, they said.

Investigators have not established who planted the bomb but said there have been several cases of extortionist groups bombing bus terminals after owners refused demands for protection money.

Onlookers injured

A reporter for Radio Mindanao Network who witnessed the blast said the security guard moved the bomb -- on a clock timer -- outside of the bus terminal and placed old tires around it before alerting police.

The bomb exploded as a member of the police bomb squad tried to defuse it and bystanders hit by shrapnel suffered severe burns, witnesses said.

"The number (of injured) would have been smaller had there been fewer onlookers," said Pagadian Police Chief Dionisio Perdiges, who was slightly injured in the attack.

"It was hard for us to drive people away."

While police did not immediately name any suspects in the attack, last month, police discovered a bomb in the same bus terminal and successfully defused it. No group was charged.

Authorities have blamed past attacks in Pagadian on the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, a Muslim separatist group that is currently holding peace talks with the government.

However, previous attacks attributed to the group were aimed at military targets, not public areas.