Glorietta Bombing ?!?

I was just strolling around Glorietta yesterday morning, and now I hear this news. I can just imagine the panic this must have caused, particularly for the numerous tourists that frequent the popular hotel-flanked mall. And this happened during the lunch break when yuppies flood the mall to eat at the restaurants. Scary! Text or call your friends in the area to check if they’re safe.

Watching TV. I will post ABS-CBN headlines on tv here as they come out to update my friends who only have access on the net, but not the television. Read the updates after the jump…..

Unconfirmed: news from friends relate that the LPG tank at Luk Yuen Restaurant caused the explosion, and the number of people who were hurt is still unconfirmed.

Update 2:30 pm – News at ABS-CBN reports that 3 are confirmed dead from the blast at Glorietta. This report was based on the number of people being carried out in stretchers with faces covered.

Update 4:00 pm – 6 confirmed dead, 50 wounded in Makati’s Glorietta blast. Rescuers search for people trapped in the debris (source, tv ABS-CBN)

Update 4:30 – at least 8 dead, 70 wounded. Many more stretchers with covered bodies are coming out from the debris. Gas leak is now ruled out, and police says that a bomb was indeed the cause of the explosion.

The section of Glorietta 2 that leads from the mall to the carpark was almost completely sloughed off from the main building. This is the general site of glorietta 2’s starbucks, VBar (carol’s favorite bar), spoofs ltd. kids’ section, cuts4tots etc.

Update 5:20 pm – Manila is now on Red Alert due to the Makati Bombing.

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Here’s the direct quote from PDI

MANILA, Philippines — An explosion of still undetermined origin hit Makati?s Glorietta Mall, with eyewitnesses reporting at least two people injured.An INQUIRER.net reporter on the scene saw one apparently injured man being carried off while another eyewitness said he saw an injured woman being rushed from the scene.The reporter said he saw smoke coming out of the Glorietta 3 as security personnel cordoned the area and shepherded people away.

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“Our initial report is that it was an accidental explosion of LPG (liquefied petroleum gas). We are still trying to determine if there are any casualties,” National Capital Region Police Office chief Geary Barias told Agence France-Presse.

The INQUIRER.net reporter said he saw smoke coming out of the Glorietta 3 as security personnel cordoned the area, near a bus stop, and shepherded people away.

Leah Navarro of the Black and White movement, who lives near the Greenbelt mall, said the explosion happened around 1:20 pm.

People leaving the mall told INQUIRER.net said they felt the whole shopping complex shake as from an earthquake as the ?strong? explosion happened in the area between the Glorietta 1 and 2 buildings.

They also said they saw windows shatter from the blast.