Philippines bus hostage crisis ends with six passengers dead
Philippines police stormed a busload of tourists being held hostage by a disgruntled former policeman, leaving six dead, including the hostage-taker.
Police and SWAT members assault a tourist bus to rescue hostages at Manila's Rizal Park Monday in Manila, Philippines. Rolando Mendoza, a dismissed policeman armed with automatic rifle, seized the bus in Manila Monday with 25 people aboard, mostly foreign tourists in a bid to demand reinstatement, police said. Mendoza was killed along with six hostages.
Bullit Marquez/AP
Manila, Philippines
A dramatic hostage-taking in the Philippines capital ended with six bus passengers dead Monday after shots rang out and police stormed the vehicle.
Skip to next paragraph
The hostage-taker also died, police said.
Five hostages were brought to the Manila Hospital, two of them dead on arrival and three alive without injuries.
IN PICTURES: Philippines bus hostage crisis
The Manila Doctors Hospital reported it received four dead and one woman in critical condition.
The incident started when a dismissed policeman armed with a M16 rifle seized the busload of Hong Kong tourists to demand his reinstatement in the force.
Police officer Roderick Mariano cited the Filipino driver who escaped moments before police surrounded the bus as saying the hostage-taker, identified as former Senior Inspector Rolando Mendoza, 55, opened fire at the tourists.
The gunman earlier released nine hostages — leaving 15 inside — and demanded his job back to free the rest.
Become part of the Monitor community
36K on Facebook | 12K on Twitter | 2,250 on YouTube