The scene of the explosion occurred in the Catholic Mass area at Mindanao State University (Photo: Reuters).
The attack took place at a Catholic Mass area in the gymnasium of Mindanao State University (MSU) in the southern Philippines. The Philippine government called it an Islamic terrorist attack.
"I condemn in the strongest possible terms the senseless and heinous acts perpetrated by foreign terrorists against MSU and the Marawi community early this Sunday morning," President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said in a statement on December 3.
"Extremists who use violence against innocent people will always be considered enemies of our society," the leader added.
In an effort to appeal to the public for 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 as well as 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".
"Right now, we are on high alert and our troops are determining the motive and identifying the perpetrators to really determine who is behind the incident," Gen. Viray said.
Military officials inspected and surveyed the area around the gym, which appeared intact except for a burn mark in the center where the explosion occurred, according to images shared by the Lanao del Sur government on its Facebook account.
An injured victim in the terrorist attack (Photo: EPA).
White plastic chairs were scattered at the scene. Video posted by DZBB on social media X showed rescuers trying to carry injured people out of the gym on plastic chairs.
Lanao del Sur provincial governor Mamintal Adiong Jr. condemned what he called the "violent bombing" and said: "Terrorist attacks on educational institutions must be strongly condemned because these are places that promote the culture of peace."
A representative of the University of Mindanao wrote on Facebook that the school was “deeply saddened and appalled by this act of violence.” The school said it had suspended classes until further notice.
Philippine soldiers guard the scene of the explosion (Photo: AP).
No one has claimed responsibility or identified the individual or group behind the attack. However, suspicion has fallen on members of the Dawlah Islamiyah - Philippines Islamist group, which supports the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS).
According to sources, the bomb explosion in Marawi, a city under siege by the group for five months in 2017, occurred after the military operation of the country's army on December 1 in Maguindanao del Sur that killed 11 gunmen, including members of Dawlah Islamiyah - Philippines.
General Viray also confirmed: "We are examining the bomb's traces to determine whether this group is really behind this incident or not."
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