Explosion rocks Cavite coastal town; 3 killed

(Updated 2:39 p.m.) At least three persons were killed while 10 others were wounded after a blast hit a row of houses in a coastal village in Cavite province shortly after noon Monday. Rosario vice mayor Jose Rozel Hernandez said the blast, which occurred near a school, caused panic among parents, prompting authorities to keep people away from the scene of the explosion. "We have reports that at least three were killed. We're trying to keep people away from the blast site, which is near a school," Hernandez said in an interview on dzBB radio Monday afternoon. A radio dzBB report identified one of the fatalities as Jenalyn Trinidad. Hernandez said at least once had been blown "beyond recognition." He did not give further details. Initial reports quoting Cavite police chief Sr. Supt. Fidel Posadas said the blast occurred in Wawa I village in Rosario town in Cavite. Hernandez cited initial reports reaching him indicating a vintage bomb being sawed for scrap metal could have caused the explosion. In November last year, a blast hit a residential subdivision in Bacoor town in Cavite, killing at least four persons. An investigation traced the cause of the blast to a shop selling blasting caps to fishermen based in Bicol and in Quezon province in Southern Luzon. - GMANews.TV