Military personnel stand guard at the entrance of a gymnasium while police investigators look for evidence after a bomb attack at Mindanao State University in Marawi, Lanao del sur province on Sunday, December 3, 2023. At least four people were killed and 50 wounded in a bomb attack on a Catholic mass in the insurgency-plagued southern Philippines on December 3, officials said. - AFP
MANILA (AFP): Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos condemned on Sunday a bombing attack by "foreign terrorists" on a Catholic mass in the southern Philippines that left at least four people dead.
"I condemn in the strongest possible terms the senseless and most heinous acts perpetrated by foreign terrorists upon the Mindanao State University (MSU) and Marawi communities early this Sunday morning," Marcos said in a statement.
At least four were killed and 50 injured in an explosion inside a gym of Mindanao State University in the Philippines' southern province of Lanao del Sur on Sunday morning, citing local military and police, reported Sunday morning.
Major General Gabriel Viray, the commander of the Army's 1st Infantry Division, said the deaths include three females and a male.
The blast occurred past 7am local time when students and teachers gathered for a Catholic mass inside the gym, according to local police.
Police were investigating the type of explosive device used in the blast.
The Mindanao State University condemned "this senseless and horrific act", saying it was "deeply saddened by and appalled by the act of violence".
The university has decided to suspend classes until further notice and has deployed additional security personnel to safeguard the campus, located in Marawi City, which is the capital and the largest city of Lanao del Sur on Mindanao island.
