Two dead after military truck plows through southern Philippines market on Christmas eve

MANILA (dpa): A man rammed a military truck into a public market packed with shoppers on Sunday - Christmas Eve - in the southern Philippines, killing two according to the police.

Three people were injured in the incident in Davao City, about 980 kilometres south of Manila, police said in a spot report.

The truck had been on standby at the public market as part of security measures, but a man jumped in when the driver stepped out to go to the toilet, leaving the vehicle engine running, an initial investigation showed.

The suspect drove the truck into the public market, hitting several people before crashing into parked cars, the report added.

The 44-year-old suspect was arrested, but authorities were still determining a motive for the incident.

The fatalities were a 43-year-old man and a 34-year-old woman, police said. The three injured victims were taken to hospital. - dpa