Two men cheated death as home-made bomb exploded car

KOTA KINABALU - Two men cheated death after their vehicle was hit by an explosive near the Donggongon Town Library in Donggongon, Penampang near here.

It is believed that the two had come to Sabah to recover some debts. However, the police declined to speculate further.

The men, identified only as Woi, 26, and Lau, 19, both from the peninsula, had just entered the vehicle when Woi saw someone in a car which was behind them throwing something in their direction.

"We wanted to go to the petrol station but before I knew it, a bomb had exploded behind our car. But we managed to get out," Woi said

He added that it was lucky that the fuel tank in their car was almost empty during the explosion.

"If the tank had been full, we would not have made it out alive," he said.

Sabah Police Commissioner Datuk Hamza Taib said that business rivalry could be the reason behind the bombing incident at about 9.30pm on Tuesday.

We are investigating from all angles, he said, adding that the police believed that the explosive used was a Molotov cocktail.

"We have yet to establish the motive," Hamza said.

Meanwhile, Penampang district police chief Deputy Supt Ratan Kumar Singh said that the police, bomb squad and forensics team had combed the area.

The case is being investigated under Section 6 of the Explosive Act 1957, he said.

Some residents said that the explosion could be heard from two kilometres away and had caused panic.