Asia-Pacific

8 confirmed dead in Manila hostage taking incident: Chinese FM

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-08-24 01:48

BEIJING - At least eight tourists from Hong Kong were confirmed dead and another two seriously injured in a bus hijack in Manila Monday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu said Monday night.

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"The Chinese government expresses its grave condolence to the victims and its deep sympathy to the families of those Hong Kong compatriots," Ma said in a statement.

China strongly condemns the violence of the hijacker, and will send a working team to the Philippines to deal with the aftermath, he said.

A bus carrying 21 Hong Kong tourists and four Filipinos was hijacked in the Philippine capital Monday morning by a former Police Senior Inspector Rolando Mendoza.

Mendoza, who is demanding the authorities to be reinstated to the service, released some hostages but kept 15 Chinese nationals in the coach until he was found dead after local police assaulted the bus Monday night.