Bombs rip through Philippines shopping malls

Manila: Two crude bombs ripped through two shopping malls in the southern Philippines on Thursday, killing two people and wounding six others, a military spokeswoman said.

The blasts occurred five minutes apart in downtown Iligan City on the restive southern island of Mindanao as people were doing their Christmas shopping, Lieutenant Steffani Cacho said, adding no group claimed responsibility for the attack.

"We're sending our bomb experts to help local authorities investigate and identify groups behind the attack," Cacho told reporters.

Lawrence Cruz, Iligan city mayor, said the explosives were placed inside bags and left at the package counters of the two shopping malls.