Police say bomb caused Manila blast

MANILA, Philippines, Oct. 19 (UPI) -- Philippine authorities say at least eight people died and as many as 130 others were injured Friday when an explosion tore through a shopping mall in Manila.

“This was a bomb,” the country’s police chief, Avelino Razon, said at the scene in Makati City, the Philippine capital’s financial district. “But we can’t say anything else yet because we are still investigating.”

President Gloria Arroyo in a statement assured the investigation would be swift and complete, The New York Times reported. She said police and military were “on their highest alert” and 2,000 more security officers were deployed to secure public places.

An initial report that the explosion was a tank of liquefied petroleum gas in a restaurant has been discounted, the Times said.

“It appears that this was caused by a bomb,” Arroyo said.

The explosion occurred on the ground floor a popular mall, police said, destroying a portion of its roof and damaging several shops. Witnesses said the blast left a crater at the foot an escalator near one of the mall’s entrances.