At least 36 bodies have been recovered from a casino and hotel complex in the Philippines capital, Manila, where a lone gunman opened fire overnight. Most of the dead appear to have suffocated after the man set fire to casino tables, local media reported.
The gunman began by shooting at TV monitors in Resorts World Manila in the early hours of Friday morning sending terrified patrons fleeing. Police said he later killed himself by setting himself on fire. The incident sparked a security lockdown and authorities initially said there were no casualties, but appear to have only found the bodies while sweeping the complex after the gunman's body was recovered.
Officials insisted that the incident was a robbery attempt, and was not terror-related despite an apparent claim by the so-called Islamic State group.
How did the attack unfold?
The man, who has yet to be named, entered the casino shortly after midnight and began shooting at television screens with an assault rifle, police say.
The shooting sparked widespread panic but police have repeatedly insisted that he did not appear to be shooting directly at patrons in the casino. He also set gaming tables on fire and filled a backpack with gambling chips worth 113m Philippine pesos (£1.7m, $2.3m).
The man later fled to the hotel section of the complex, leaving behind the backpack, and entered a hotel room. "He lay down on the bed, covered himself with a thick blanket, apparently poured petrol on the blanket and burned himself," national police chief Ronald Dela Rosa said on Friday.
The shooting sparked a security lockdown and a manhunt in the complex, which ended when his body was found. Resorts World Manila said in a statement that the man also shot himself after setting himself on fire, and that he was found dead around 07:00 local time (23:00 Thursday GMT).
Courtesy:BBC