MANILA - A powerful explosion rocked a crowded shopping mall in Makati City yesterday afternoon, killing at least eight and injuring scores of others, and police said they were not ruling out a bomb attack.
The blast caused extensive damage throughout the Glorietta 2 shopping complex in the financial district, toppling roofs, destroying walls, and sending debris crashing onto cars outside.
At least eight people were killed and as many as 89 others were injured, said National Capital Regional Police Chief Geary Barias.
“I was told by officials of the explosives and ordnance disposal division that it could be a bomb but it’s not definite yet,” said PNP Director General Avelino Razon Jr.
Witnesses told radio stations they saw bloodied people being helped out and carried away in ambulances.
Taxi driver Mario Em said he had just dropped off two female passengers at the mall when the blast hurled the two women against his vehicle, killing them instantly.
He said he pulled one of the victims, who was pregnant, from underneath his car.
“The blast was so loud I lost hearing,” he said.
Barias said an initial report suggested the blast was caused by a cooking gas tank in a mall restaurant. But hours later, he clarified the explosion was not inside the restaurant but at the entrance of the mall and police were investigating the cause.
“It’s too early to say if it’s terrorism-related,” Barias said, adding that the police had not received any threats about an attack.
The explosion happened inside the Luk Yuen restaurant at the ground floor of the mall at 1:30 p.m. It took place a week after the Philippine National Police (PNP) revealed plans by the Abu Sayyaf Group to launch attacks after the ending of the Ramadan last Oct. 12.
Warning
On reports that the explosion was caused by a C-4 explosive, Razon said, “The analysis is not yet finished. We have no evidence to say that.”
Police and the military in the capital declared the highest state of alert, and President Arroyo said in a statement she was “deeply saddened” by the incident and ordered police to investigate “and to leave no stone unturned.”
“I warn those who seek to exploit this incident to destabilize our government for their selfish political motives,” the President said.
Security was also tightened in malls in Cebu and the province was placed under red alert.
'All other malls and places where people tend to congregate, especially in Makati, will be placed under close watch and we will deploy additional policemen,” Barias said.
No accident
National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales said the government is looking into the possibility of a terrorist attack and that the key is to look into the type of explosive used, which serves as the “signature” of the bomber.
“This is not an accident. We are looking into a possible terrorist attack,” Gonzales said.
Several months ago, authorities were alerted to an alleged terror plot to plant bombs in Manila’s business districts of Makati and Ortigas, said a government counterterrorism official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
People inside the mall scampered toward the exits when the blast shook the mall.
“One man who was in front of me was already dead. There was a child but we don’t know where the child is now,” said Dennis Inigo, who was shopping at the time of the explosion.
“The man’s wife was with me a while ago, and her leg was shattered. Many people were falling on top of each other,” he said. “It was loud, and then it became dusty.”
Collapse
Makati City Councilor JunJun Binay said the explosion left an eight-meter-wide crater on the ground floor and blew a hole through the roof on the second floor. Witnesses said part of a ceiling collapsed while a concrete wall was blown out.
Two cars and two delivery vans were buried under wooden planks and concrete debris outside the mall.
“It was so powerful,” clothing store clerk Jeric Balendes told Agence France Presse as rescuers treated his cuts and bruises.
“The roof just collapsed on us. I could hear my three co-workers screaming. I got out through a small hole. I don’t know if they got out.”
The United States and Australia both offered technical help in investigating the blast.
Bomb squad teams sifted through the debris looking for clues, while extra police were drafted in to divert traffic and seal off the surrounding area—one of the busiest shopping districts in Manila. (AP/AFP/Sunnex)
