Suspected military bomb hits covered court outside Marawi

Residents of a barangay located 22 kilometers away from Marawi City heard a loud explosion that rocked the area Sunday night which they believed came from a military bomb that missed its target.

A report by GMA News' Sandra Aguinaldo on 24 Oras said the explosion occurred around 11 p.m. in Barangay Pugaan in Ramain town. The blast damaged a covered court and left a large hole on the ground.

Provincial Crisis Management Committee spokesperson Zia Alonto Adiong, however, said they have yet to verify the cause of the explosion.

"Yung report is natamaan yung gymnasium, so hindi pa natin ma-verify yun. Baka tinamaan sila mga alas diyes, alas nuebe, or earlier," Adiong said.

Military spokesman Lt. Col. Jo-Ar Herrera said no civilian was hurt during the incident.

"Sa feedback by the barangay captain and the Crisis Management Committee nobody [was] hurt. But of course we need to validate the report on the alleged hitting [of] a target outside Marawi City," Herrera said.

The incident happened four days after 10 soldiers were killed while seven others were wounded when a military airstrike hit ground troops in Marawi City where they were fighting members of the local terrorist group Maute.

The military has formed a Board of Inquiry to investigate the misfire but airstrikes continue on positions held by the ISIS-inspired Maute group.

Looting

Meanwhile, the report said authorities have been struggling to restore peace and order in Marawi City amid reports of looting in houses and commercial establishments.

One of the residents victimized was Dr. Alinor Mira-ato, whose vault containing about P1 million worth of jewelry and cash was stolen by looters.

"My vault is here... wala na yung vault ko. May mga jewelrykasi ako dito, jewelries and cash," Mira-ato said.

Adiong, nonetheless, said the military and barangay officials immediately deploy their personnel in the communities once the Maute members are forced to retreat to ensure peace and order.

"Once na na-recover ng ating military yung areas from the Maute ay immediately sinu-supply-an ng tao 'yan, sinu-supply-an ng mga barangay captains ng tao just to make, na untoward incidents will be avoided," he said. —Joseph Tristan Roxas/KBK, GMA News