ASIA: Girl, 8, among 17 dead in Manila shoot-out: police
06 Dec 2008 1:10 PM
MANILA, Dec 6 AFP - Up to 17 people including four bystanders were killed in a police shoot-out with armed men toting assault rifles and a grenade launcher in a Manila suburb, police and news reports said.
Philippine police commandos stopped the men on a highway in the Paranaque area on Friday, triggering a gunbattle in which 10 of the criminals died, Senior Superintendent Glen Tecson said.
"While they were fleeing, they fired assault rifles and a grenade launcher," he said.
Four of the men, who belong to a known robbery gang, escaped while an eight-year-old girl was among the bystanders killed. Police could not confirm reports the armed men intentionally fired on passers-by.
As well as the 10 robbers and four bystanders, one policeman and two security guards were also killed in the gunfight, police director Leopoldo Bataoil said. Another policeman was wounded, he said.
Human rights commissioner Lilia de Lima said her agency would look into the incident to make sure the police acted properly to protect the civilians.
