Eight tourists die in Manila gun drama
Eight Hong Kong tourists were killed in a bloody end to the hijacking of a bus in Manila by a police inspector, who was also killed when officers stormed the vehicle.
Police moved in to end the standoff after about 10 hours when shots were heard from the bus.
Two British nationals were among the survivors, the Foreign Office confirmed today.
The drama began around 10 am yesterday when a disgruntled police inspector seized a busload of around 20 tourists in the historic district of Manila. He freed nine people.
President Benigno Aquino said in a televised briefing in Manila that taking the bus by force was the “final optionâ€.
The police inspector was dismissed earlier this year for allegedly extorting money from a drug suspect.
Bloomberg reported that the incident underscores the risks of travelling and working in a country ranked 130th out of 149 in the Global Peace Index, a measure of factors such as violent crimes, access to weapons and political instability.
The Philippines attracted 2.7 million tourists last year.
Hong Kong chief executive Donald Tsang said at a briefing yesterday that all Hong Kong citizens should leave the Philippines as soon as possible.
Hong Kong has issued a Black Alert for its citizens, indicating that a severe threat exists and that travelling to the Philippines should be avoided.
Tour groups still in the Philippines are due to be repatriated from today.
by TravelMole Asia
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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