Two passengers were killed and eight others wounded when unidentified gunmen ambushed a provincial commuter bus in the southern Philippines Thursday.
Police and military reports said the ALGA Bus Lines unit had just left Gutalac town in Zamboanga del Norte province, 455 miles (735 kms) south of Manila, around 3 a.m.(1900 GMT Wednesday) when it was strafed by gunmen in front of the Canuto Enerio Elementary School on a coastal highway in Barangay Salvador.
The Armed Forces' Western Mindanao Command said two passengers died on the spot while eight others were rushed to Liloy District Hospital. It said authorities were investigating the possibility that the attackers mistook the bus for their intended target as the area was very dark at the time of the incident.
Authorities say it is not yet clear who was responsible for the attack, but Muslim separatist rebels and Islamic militants are known to operate in the province.
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