DEVELOPING: Dozens of people are reportedly injured after gunfire erupted in a Philippines resort early Friday morning, the resort said.
"Resorts World Manila is currently on lockdown following reports of gunfire from unidentified men," the resort wrote on Twitter.
At least 25 people were reportedly injured, the Philippine Red Cross told The Manila Times.
Gunfire and explosions were reported at the hotel in Pasay City sometime after midnight Friday local time. Metropolitan Manila Development Authority reported that there is a "fire alert" at the Resort World Manila in Pasay about 12:30 a.m. local time.
The U.S. Department of State Bureau of Consular Affairs confirmed there were reports of explosions and gunfire at the resort and urged people to avoid the area.
Police and emergency crew are at the scene.
Videos posted on social media show hotel guests running out of the resorts with sounds of apparent gunfire in the background. Some reported seeing a masked man with a gun inside the building.
A witness at the resort told ABS-CBN News that he saw multiple attackers setting casino tables on fire. He added that hotel guests, some foreigners, headed toward the emergency exits while others ran to the building's basement.
Resorts World Manila is touted as a popular tourist destination that includes a shopping center, casino hotel. It's located near the Manila International Airport.
The Philippines have been grappling with unrest in the Mindanao region, where President Rodrigo Duterte declared martial law through mid-July in an attempt to crush the insurrection. Militants linked to the Islamic State group laid siege to a southern Philippines city. About 500 militants have died since the fighting began.
In recent years, small militant groups in the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia have begun unifying under the banner of the Islamic State group. Jose Calida, the top Philippine prosecutor, said last week that the violence on the large southern island of Mindanao "is no longer a rebellion of Filipino citizens."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
没有评论:
发表评论