The scene of the explosion occurred in the Catholic Mass area at Mindanao State University (Photo: Reuters).
The attack occurred in the Catholic Mass area of the gymnasium at Mindanao State University (MSU) in southern Philippines. Philippine authorities called it an Islamic terrorist attack.
"I condemn in the strongest possible terms the senseless and heinous acts committed by foreign terrorists against MSU University and the Marawi community early Sunday morning," President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. declared on December 3.
"Extremists who use violence against innocent people will always be considered enemies of our society," the leader further emphasized.
In an effort to urge calm, President Marcos posted on social media platform X that he had instructed the national police and armed forces to "ensure the protection and safety of civilians and the security of affected and vulnerable communities."
"Rest assured that we will bring these terrorists to justice," President Marcos asserted.
Speaking to reporters as explosives disposal experts were deployed to the scene, Army Major General Gabriel Viray III called the attack at Mindanao State University an "act of terrorism."
"Currently, we are on high alert and our military is working to determine the motive and identify the perpetrators in order to truly determine who is behind this incident," General Viray said.
Military officials inspected and surveyed the gymnasium, which appeared intact except for a burn mark in the center where the explosion occurred, according to images shared by the Lanao del Sur authorities on their Facebook account.
One victim was injured in the terrorist attack (Photo: EPA).
White plastic chairs lay scattered at the scene. A video posted by DZBB on social media shows rescue workers struggling to carry injured people out of the gym on plastic chairs.
The governor of Lanao del Sur province, Mamintal Adiong Jr., condemned what he called the "violent bombing" and stated: "Terrorist attacks on educational institutions must be strongly condemned because these are places that promote a culture of peace."
A representative from the University of Mindanao wrote on Facebook that the school is "deeply saddened and horrified by this act of violence. The school has announced that it has temporarily suspended teaching until further notice."
Philippine soldiers secure the scene of the explosion (Photo: AP).
No one has yet claimed responsibility, and it is impossible to identify the individual or group behind the attack. However, suspicion is focused on members of the Dawlah Islamiyah group in the Philippines, which supports the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS).
According to sources, the bomb blast in Marawi, a city besieged by the group for five months in 2017, occurred after a military operation by the country's army on December 1st in Maguindanao del Sur that killed 11 militants, including members of the Dawlah Islamiyah group of the Philippines.
General Viray also confirmed: "We are examining the bomb's markings to determine if this group was indeed behind this attack."
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