Blast rocks mall in Manila

Seven years ago, Muslim extremists injured 13 people when they bombed the same mall.

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — A powerful blast ripped through three floors of a shopping mall in the heart of Manila’s financial district Friday, killing eight people and wounding about 130, authorities said.

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo said it was “highly probable” the blast was caused by an explosive device, and National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales said authorities were looking into whether it was a terrorist attack, but added “there is no conclusive evidence yet.”

Al-Qaida-linked Abu Sayyaf militants have waged a yearslong bombing campaign in the southern Philippines in their aim to establish a separate state for the majority Muslims in the region. Abu Sayyaf and the Indonesia-based Jemaah Islamiyah network have also launched attacks in Manila.

Thirteen people were wounded when the same mall was bombed seven years ago, an attack officials said was the work of Muslim extremists.

The Friday afternoon explosion at the glitzy Glorietta 2 mall toppled roofs, destroyed walls, and sent debris crashing onto cars outside. At least eight people were killed and about 130 were wounded, officials said.

Arroyo said the military went on the highest alert after the explosion and deployed an additional 2,000 personnel to secure public areas “to prevent a similar occurrence.”

Police Chief Inspector Raynold Rosero, deputy chief of the Philippine Bomb Data Center, said a bomb squad took swabs to identify the explosive responsible for the blast in the mall.

He said no bomb parts or fragments such as a detonating cord, switch or power source were immediately found in the area, which was damp with water possibly due to broken pipes.

Officials said the blast, which appeared to have originated close to the mall’s ground-level loading dock for delivery vehicles, ripped through three floors of the mall, covering shops and restaurants with dust, glass splinters and other debris. People inside the mall ran toward the exits when the blast went off.