Blast kills 8, injures 126 at a mall in Manila, The Philippines

October 19, 2007

An explosion rocked an upscale mall in the main financial district of the Philippine capital Manila. The explosion damaged the Glorietta Mall in the financial district of Makati and killed at least eight people and injured at least 126 people, 98 of those needed hospitalization and the other 28 were given first aid at the blast site for minor injuries.

The explosion happened past 1:30 p.m. just after employees of the different companies in Makati finished their lunch breaks.

Police investigators initially said the cause of the explosion was from a leaking liquefied petroleum gas tank, but after a few hours the Chief of the Philippine National Police, Director General Avelino Razon Jr., ruled out the possibility of a gas tank leak and stated the bomb could be the cause of the explosion because ground investigators say the blast site smelled of gunpowder. Some police intelligence sources say they found traces of C4 explosives at the blast site.

Philippine president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo meanwhile is on her way to the blast site. Currently, the explosion is still under investigation and the PNP bomb squad are inside the mall to check if there is still any bomb debris or any human remains.