At least 2 dead, 21 hurt in bomb blast in Philippines

A Philippine general says at least two people were killed and 21 others wounded when a bomb believed to be detonated remotely by suspected Muslim militants exploded near the entrance of a mall in the country's south.

Maj. Gen. Cirilito Sobejana says the bomb went off Monday near the entrance of the South Seas mall in Cotabato city as people made last-minute preparations ahead of New Year's Eve celebrations. Authorities recovered another unexploded bomb nearby.

Sobejana said by phone that an initial investigation showed the design of the bomb was similar to those used in the past by local Muslim militants who have pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group.

According to the official Philippine News Agency, police are still trying to determine "if the blast was caused by an improvised explosive device or illegal powerful firecrackers that accidentally went off in the area."

"We saw several people wounded and being rushed to the hospital," Police Supt. Romeo Galgo Jr. told PNA. "We are still conducting a post-blast investigation."

In a Facebook post-Monday, Cotabato Mayor Frances Cynthia Guiani-Sayadi called the blast an "act against humanity."

"I strongly condemn the bombing incident that happened in front of South Seas Mall today, a day before the New Year, the took away several innocent lives and injured dozen others," she wrote.

"This is not just another terroristic act but an act against humanity. I cannot fathom how such evil exists in this time of merrymaking."

Mindanao, a province in the far south of the Philippines at the borders of Malaysia and Indonesia, has long been plagued by terrorism and unrest.

In July, at least 10 people were killed when militants linked to the Abu Sayyaf terror group struck a military checkpoint with a car bomb.

The province is home to several Islamist insurgent groups, including Abu Sayyaf, which has been blamed for a number of attacks on civilians and Philippine government troops, as well as the kidnapping of several foreign nationals.