Bombs kill at least 20 during Mass in Philippines cathedral

[Valin]

Times of Israel

Attack at Our Lady of Mount Carmel occurs on Jolo island, long targeted by Abu Sayyaf terror organization; 81 people injured in twin blasts

Jan. 27 2019

In this photo provided by WESMINCOM Armed Forces of the Philippines, a soldier views the site inside a Roman Catholic cathedral in Jolo, the capital of Sulu province in the southern Philippines after two bombs exploded January 27, 2019. (WESMINCOM Armed Forces of the Philippines Via AP)

JOLO, Philippines — Two bombs minutes apart tore through a Roman Catholic cathedral on a southern Philippine island where Muslim jihadists are active, killing at least 20 people and wounding 81 during a Sunday Mass, officials said.

Witnesses said the first blast inside the Jolo cathedral in the provincial capital sent churchgoers, some of them wounded, to stampede out of the main door. Army troops and police posted outside were rushing in when the second bomb went off about one minute later near the main entrance, causing more deaths and injuries. The military was checking a report that the second explosive device may have been attached to a parked motorcycle.

The initial explosion scattered the wooden pews inside the main hall and blasted window glass panels, and the second bomb hurled human remains and debris across a town square fronting the Cathedral of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, witnesses said. Cellphone signal was cut off in the first hours after the attack. The witnesses who spoke to The Associated Press refused to give their names or were busy at the scene of the blasts.

Police said at least 20 people died and 81 were wounded, correcting an earlier toll due to double counting. The fatalities included 15 civilians and five troops. Among the wounded were 14 troops, two police and 65 civilians.

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Another Day, Another Allahu Akbar