Philippines: Tens of thousands of explosives uncovered at abandoned mining site
Different types of dynamite. Pic: Flickr/Michelllaurance
TENS of thousands of powerful explosives have been found at an abandoned mining site in southern Filipino province of Sultan Kudarat.
Authorities found piles of the nitroglycerin-based dynamites at the site, located in the municipality of Bagumbayan, which has a population of 63,700 people.
According to the PhilStar newspaper, the director of the Sultan Kudarat provincial police, Senior Superintendent Raul Supiter, said the explosives were found in an abandoned shelter by villagers two days ago.
The exact amount of dynamites found is unclear, with local media reporting between 18,000 and 39,000 sticks.
The area it was found in used to be a copper and ore extraction site, owned by a firm called Ippo China Mining Company. The company shut down its operations several years ago for unknown reasons, despite the area being located at the foot of the Daguma mountain range, which is full of minerals.
Supiter told the Inquirer that police were appealing to farmers who reportedly took some of the explosives to surrender the “dangerous” weapons.
He was quoted saying: “Mere possession of these dynamites is a crime offense and no bail bond recommended for violators.”
The provincial police will receive assistance from personnel of the Army’s 57th Infantry Battalion and mining experts from the Department of Environmental and Natural Resources to dispose of the explosives.
