Motorcyclists shoot dead 2 Chinese on streets of Manila

Reports that two Chinese nationals were gunned down and killed on the streets of the Philippine capital are being investigated, the Chinese Embassy said on Sunday.

The embassy acknowledged local reports and said it was cooperating with the police to verify the identities of the two murdered men, People’s Daily reported on Saturday.

They were killed by two unidentified motorcyclists on Taft Avenue in Manila about 11:40 am Saturday, the Philippines-based newspaper the Inquirer reported on Saturday.

One victim died on the spot, and the other on the way to hospital, the report said.

Two bystanders were also reportedly injured by stray bullets and were rushed to a nearby hospital.

Manila police said the victims were only passing by the area when the helmeted suspects attacked, according to the Manila-based newspaper.

The suspects rode a black Yamaha Mio. One wore a black jacket and a black helmet, while the other had a white-and-blue jacket with a white helmet, CNN Philippines reported on Saturday.

The suspects fled the scene. Police found 13 bullet casings on the ground, Philippine-based newspaper Chinese Commercial News reported on Saturday.

The police are still investigating the incident, and no motive for the killing had been established as of press time.

In June last year, 38 people died in a shooting at a casino hotel in Manila, with five of the victims being Chinese.

Philippines police said that attack on the hotel “was not an act of terror. It was plain robbery,” the Xinhua News Agency reported in June 2017.