A powerful explosion tore through a high class residential building in Manila, the capital of the Philippines, Friday night. The blast killed 3 people who were in delivery van driving by, authorities told the Associated Press.
4 people were injured, along with the 3 killed, by chunks of concrete that flew out into the street as the explosion blew a hole through the wall of the building, according to a statement issued by the property owner Ayala Land Inc.
Starex van and abandon truck crushed under a huge block from blown up unit Serendra. Passengers still inside. twitter.com/skipDLC/status…
— Skip dela Cruz (@skipDLC) May 31, 2013
"The building has been evacuated and the residents are being taken care of and provided with lodging while the incident is being investigated," a statement from Ayala Land Inc. read. "The Taguig police and the Bureau of Fire Protection are on site to conduct the investigation. We are fully cooperating with the authorities as they try to determine the cause of the explosion. A large area in front of Two Serendra has been cordoned off for the safety of residents and bystanders." The blast is thought to have been caused by a faulty appliance. A telephone operator at the Taguig police station told the Associated Press under condition of anonymity that police do not suspect a bomb caused the blast.
Cement slab siding slices thru parked abenson truck twitter.com/MARoxas/status… — Mar Roxas (@MARoxas) May 31, 2013
Witnesses to the explosion have been tweeting pictures of the devestation.
Interior Secretary Mar Roxas wasn't dismissing the potential of a bombing until the investigation into the explosion is completed.
"This could be an accident, this could be an explosion of chemicals. This could be anything," Roxas told the Associated Press. "Let us not speculate."
Roxas is most likely urging people to not speculate that the explosion may have been a terrorist act. Recently travel warnings for parts of the Philippines have been issued by the U.S., Canadian, Australian and British governments, according to the Associated Press.
The Two Serendra building where the explosion occurred is located in an upscale neighborhood called Taguig City. GMA, a Filipino TV network, reports that the blast came from the fifth floor of the building.
