Children killed in grenade explosion in Philippines

An eight-year-old boy and his 12-year-old friend were killed when a grenade they were playing with exploded in their central Philippine village.

Four other youngsters, aged nine to 11, were wounded in yesterday’s blast and treated in a regional hospital, said Senior Superintendent Balligi Tira.

He said the eight-year-old found the grenade near his house in Buhiin Camarines Sur province, 180 miles south-east of Manila.

It was not clear how the grenade ended up in the village, but communist rebels operate in the area.