2 dead, 6 wounded in Maguindanao van ambush

COTABATO CITY (MindaNews / 26 August)  — Two persons were killed and six others were wounded when a passenger van was ambushed in Barangay Bagan, Guindulungan town in Maguindanao del Sur at around 7:30 p.m. on Monday.

Lieutenant Colonel Jopy Ventura, spokesperson of the Police Regional Office-Bangsamong Autonomous Region (PRO BAR), said the van was carrying 18 passengers and was cruising along the national highway, heading toward Datu Saudi Ampatuan when unidentified assailants opened fire on the vehicle. One was killed.

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Despite the gunfire, the driver was able to continue driving until he reached the police station of Datu Saudi Ampatuan. Police personnel immediately transported seven of the wounded victims to the Maguindanao Provincial Hospital but one of the seven died in the hospital, bringing the death toll to 2.

Investigators from the Guindulungan police recovered several empty shell casings from the ambush site.

The van is now in the custody of the Datu Saudi police.

The  suspects reportedly fled the scene in a black mini van without a plate number.

The Guindulungan police are still investigating. (Ferdinandh B. Cabrera / MindaNews)