1 of 1 injuries at the Amai Pakpak Medical Center in Marawi in the Philippines after an explosion during a Catholic mass at a university Photo: Merlyn Manos / AFP Photo Injuries at the Amai Pakpak Medical Center in Marawi in the Philippines after an explosion during a Catholic Mass at the university Photo: Merlyn Manos / AFP Photo
Three people died and nine were injured this Sunday (3) after an explosion during a Catholic mass in a university sports hall in the southern Philippines, local police reported.
Authorities are investigating the explosion at Mindanao State University, regional police director Brigadier General Allan Nobleza said.
Nobleza said the explosion may have been an attack by proIslamic State militias.
The explosion occurred in Marawi, a city under siege by Islamist militants for five months in 2017.
The Philippine military announced on Saturday (2) that it killed 11 militants, including members of Dawlah IslamiyahPhilippines, a proIslamic State group, in a military operation in Maguindanao del Sur province.
“I condemn the violent incident,” Lanao del Sur Governor Mamintal Adiong Jr. said in a statement. “Terrorist attacks on educational institutions must also be condemned because these are places that promote the culture of peace.”
Mindanao State University is “deeply saddened and shocked by the violence that occurred during a religious gathering,” the institution said in a statement. “We condemn this terrible and senseless act in the strongest possible terms.”
The university also announced that it has suspended classes indefinitely.