Two Dead, 5 Wounded in Southern Philippine Bus Bombing

Two people were killed and five others were wounded when a bomb exploded on a bus in the southern Philippines on Wednesday, the regional military commander said.

The explosion occurred as the bus was pulling into a terminal in Carmen, a town on the restive island of Mindanao that is home to a long-running Muslim insurgency, Lieutenant Colonel Benjie Hao told reporters.

The regional military spokesman initially reported that 10 people were killed and two wounded, but Hao said the death toll of two was confirmed after soldiers reached the scene of the blast.

The bomb was apparently planted inside the bus, according to Hao.

Although there were no immediate suspects in the blast, Hao said that extortionists had previously carried out such bombings to force the bus company to pay them protection money.

The incident took place in a region where Muslim separatist rebels and heavily-armed outlaw groups are active, often resorting to extortion, kidnapping and banditry to raise funds.