Twin bombings tore through a Roman Catholic cathedral in the Philippines on Sunday killing at least 27 people and leaving more than 81 others injured
MANILA, Philippines — Twin bombings tore through a Roman Catholic cathedral in the Philippines on Sunday, killing at least 27 people and leaving more than 81 others injured.
The bombs, that exploded minutes apart, struck the Cathedral of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in the southern Philippine island of Jolo.
According to officials in Jolo Island, the first bomb went off as Sunday Mass was being celebrated at the cathedral at 08:45 local time (00:45 GMT).
The second explosion occurred a minute later, at the doorstep on the main entrance of the cathedral.
Some reports noted that the second device was detonated in the car park while soldiers were responding to the first explosion.
Officials said that most of the victims were civilians, adding that those injured have been evacuated by air to the nearby city of Zamboanga.
The local media and social media pages from the affected region were filled with photos from the blast site, showing armoured vehicles surrounding the cathedral and the main road leading to the church being sealed off by soldiers.
So far, no group has claimed responsibility fo the attack.
‘Dastardly act’ condemned
The Philippine Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana called the attack a «dastardly act,» and urged the local population to work with authorities to «deny terrorism any victory.»
Lorenzana said, «I have directed our troops to heighten their alert level, secure all places of worships and public places at once, and initiate pro-active security measures to thwart hostile plans.
