International
0

2 Killed in Manila Twin Blasts

2 Killed in Manila Twin Blasts
2 Killed in Manila Twin Blasts

Twin explosions in the Philippine capital on Saturday night killed two people and injured six others, police said, just over a week after another blast in the same area.

Authorities initially said there were no indications the blasts were terrorist attacks but the self-styled Islamic State militant group claimed them, Channel News Asia reported.

The militants cited a higher death toll than that given by police in their propaganda outfit Amaq and said it was a strike against Shia Muslims.

“The initial blast occurred around 6:00 p.m. (1000 GMT) near a mosque in Quiapo, one of the older parts of Manila where there are big slums,” city police chief, Oscar Albayalde, said.

“The explosion killed two and injured four others,” he added.

A second blast occurred in the same area around 8:30 p.m., according to an AFP photographer who was among a group of journalists near the scene.

Two policemen who were inspecting the area after the first blast were injured by the second explosion, Albayalde said in an interview on GMA television.

The blasts occurred outside an Islamic community center and about a hundred meters from the Quiapo Golden Mosque.

The first blast damaged part of the Islamic center and shattered windows in nearby buildings, according to the AFP photographer and witnesses.

Albayalde said the first blast appeared to have come from a package that was being delivered by a man on a motorcycle.

“The man on the motorcycle who delivered the package was killed. The other killed was the person who received the package,” he said in an interview on DZRH radio.

The other explosion in Quiapo just over a week ago, which occurred as Southeast Asian leaders were meeting for a summit a few kilometers away, injured 14 people.

Add new comment

Read our comment policy before posting your viewpoints

Financialtribune.com