Eyewitness video showed wounded people being brought out of and put into vehicles to be taken to hospital on Sunday after a bomb attack in the southern Philippines during a Catholic Mass which was being held at a university gym.
Four people were killed in the attack authorities called Islamist terrorism. The blast in Marawi, a city besieged by pro-Islamic State militants for five months in 2017, followed the killing of 11 combatants in a military operation on Friday in Maguindanao del Sur some 200 km (125 miles) away.
Urging calm, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr posted on the social media platform X that he had instructed the national police and armed forces ensure protection and safety of civilians and security of affected and vulnerable communities. He also said the perpetrators would be brought to justice.
Military officials said troops were on heightened alert in the region to determine the motive and identify who was behind the attack. The Philippine military killed 11 militants on Saturday, including members of the Dawlah Islamiyah-Philippines group, in an operation that recovered 10 high-powered firearms and three explosive devices.
The university said it was said it was suspending classes until further notice.
