Blast in posh Taguig condo kills 3
MANILA—A powerful explosion suspected to have been caused by a faulty appliance ripped through a residential building in an upscale district of Taguig last night, killing three people in a passing delivery van that was hit by debris.
The explosion punched a large hole in the wall of an apartment building and sent concrete chunks flying onto the street below. A fire marshal at the scene in the Two Serendra area said three people died in the passing van.
A telephone operator at the Taguig City Police Station, who declined to give her name because she was not authorized to speak to the media, said the
explosion came from an appliance and was not caused by a bomb.
Police officials refused to provide other information, saying they were still investigating the cause of the blast. It occurred in a popular shopping and residential area that was teeming with passersby on a payday.
Broken glass from windows in retail shops littered the street.
Two apartment units were “blown out,” said George Marco, spokesman for property owner Ayala Land Inc. He said two people were injured in the building. Other residents were evacuated as a precaution, he said.
The area was cordoned off and police, fire and rescue teams put up a makeshift medical center to treat casualties, said Joel Montales, an administrator of Taguig City.
Interior and Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas told ANC last night that investigators would try to find out what caused the explosion, after the building was evacuated. (AP)