By: Francis T. Wakefield
Two soldiers were killed while 11 others were injured when a bomb during an airstrike missed its target and exploded near their position in Marawi City at noon yesterday.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines said that it is now investigating the incident.
AFP Public Affairs Office chief Marine Col. Edgard Arevalo said initial report from Marawi indicated that the bomb was 250 meters off target and the impact of the explosion caused the collapse of nearby structures.
“Large debris from heavily reinforced buildings accidentally hit two of our personnel who succumbed to death in the process,” Arevalo said.
The wounded soldiers are now recuperating in a nearby hospital.
“We are saddened by this unfortunate incident. We are attending to the needs of the families of our troops who died or were hurt,” Arevalo said.
“Cognizant units from the AFP have formed a group that is now conducting initial investigations to determine the cause of the mishap and prevent the chances of it reoccouring,” he added.
It was the second time that an airstrike in Marawi killed government security forces. The first was June 1 when 11 soldiers were killed.