Police investigators and soldiers are seen at the site of an explosion in Marawi City, Lanao del Sur province, the Philippines on Dec. 3, 2023. At least four were killed and 50 injured in an explosion inside a gym of Mindanao State University in the Philippines' southern province of Lanao del Sur on Sunday morning, local military and police said. (Xinhua)
MANILA, Dec. 3 (Xinhua) -- At least four were killed and 50 injured in an explosion inside a gym of Mindanao State University in the Philippines' southern province of Lanao del Sur on Sunday morning, local military and police said.
Major General Gabriel Viray, the commander of the Army's 1st Infantry Division, said the deaths include three females and a male.
The blast occurred past 7 a.m. local time when students and teachers gathered for a Catholic mass inside the gym, according to local police.
Police were investigating the type of explosive device used in the blast.
The Mindanao State University condemned "this senseless and horrific act," saying it was "deeply saddened by and appalled by the act of violence."
The university has decided to suspend classes until further notice and has deployed additional security personnel to safeguard the campus, located in Marawi City, which is the capital and the largest city of Lanao del Sur on Mindanao island.
In 2017, local terrorists pledging support for the Islamic State, including a faction of the Abu Sayyaf Group, the Maute Group, among others, occupied and held the lakeside city for five months, resulting in over 1,200 deaths, hundreds of thousands of residents displaced, and many parts of the city destroyed. ■
Police investigators and soldiers are seen at the site of an explosion in Marawi City, Lanao del Sur province, the Philippines on Dec. 3, 2023. At least four were killed and 50 injured in an explosion inside a gym of Mindanao State University in the Philippines' southern province of Lanao del Sur on Sunday morning, local military and police said. (Xinhua)
