Blast kills four in Philippines

A bomb blast during New Year’s Eve celebrations in a town in the southern Philippines killed at least four people and wounded 26, police said.

A 60mm mortar or grenade time bomb exploded next to a fireworks stall in Tacurong, Sultan Kudarat province, on southern Mindanao island, chief police inspector Jaime Guiballa said.

Most of the casualties were New Year’s revellers, he added.

No one has claimed responsibility, but authorities have blamed the separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front for a series of bomb attacks and an ambush that killed 30 people and injured dozens in the last two weeks in the southern Philippines.

The rebels have denied the charge.