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At least 13 people were wounded in a series of bomb blasts believed perpetrated by leftist rebels in southern Philippines on Sunday, the military said on Monday.
Among the injured, eight were soldiers who were hit by a landmine amid a fire fight with New People's Army guerrillas in Managa village, Bansalan town, in Mindanao's Davao del Sur province around 11 a.m., said Ernest Carolina, spokesperson of the army's 10th Infantry Division.
He said residents also reported seeing four dead NPA rebels being carried by fleeing guerrillas following the hour-long encounter.
In a text message to Xinhua, Carolina said five civilian aid workers from the Philippine National Red Cross and the provincial disaster risk reduction management council were also injured as their ambulance was hit by another landmine in Sitio (community) Tower, also in the same village around 7 p.m.
"The convoy of three army and Red Cross ambulances were on their way to evacuate the soldiers wounded in the first explosion when another blast hit the civilian medical aid vehicle," said Carolina, condemning the attack as "a blatant disregard to international humanitarian laws."
Two of the aid workers are in critical condition at a local hospital, said Carolina.
He said soldiers were conducting pursuit operation against the suspected rebel attackers.
The 4,000-strong NPA, armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines, is fighting an insurgency in 60 Philippine provinces since 1969.
