Bus bomb kills seven in Philippines

COTABATO: Seven people were killed and six others wounded on Thursday when a bomb exploded aboard a passenger bus in the troubled southern Philippines, the military said.

The bomb went off as the bus was travelling through Matalam town on the southern island of Mindanao, said regional military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Randolph Cabangbang.

He did not name any specific suspects but said that extortion was a possible motive.

"The bus company has long been receiving extortion letters from armed groups operating in the region," Cabangbang said.

Bomb experts have been dispatched to the site to determine the type of explosive used, he added.

In previous years, bus companies in Mindanao have had their vehicles and bus terminals attacked with bombs by armed groups trying to extort money from them.

Among the groups active in the region are separatist guerrillas, Al Qaeda-linked extremists and bandit groups, all of whom have resorted to bombings in the past.