At least 27 people have been killed in two bomb blasts at a Roman Catholic cathedral on the southern Philippine island of Jolo, where the Abu Sayyaf group and other armed fighters are active.
About 20 civilians and seven soldiers were among those killed in the blasts, which also wounded at least 77 people who were attending Sunday mass, officials said.
The first bomb went off in or near the cathedral of Jolo, the capital of Sulu province, followed by a second blast outside the compound as government forces were responding to the attack, security officials said.
The initial explosion scattered the wooden pews inside the Cathedral of Our Lady of Mount Carmel and blasted window glass panels, and the second bomb hurled human remains and debris across a town square fronting the church, witnesses said.
President Rodrigo Duterte’s spokesman Salvador Panelo condemned the “act of terrorism” and vowed that government forces will pursue the perpetrators of the attack.
“The Armed Forces of the Philippines will rise to the challenge and crush these godless criminals,” he said.
In a separate statement, the Philippine Army said the explosions were likely caused by improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
“We condemn this dastardly attack on the civilians who were peacefully attending church services,” a statement from the military said.
Photos on social media showed debris and bodies lying on a busy street outside the Cathedral of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, which has been hit by bombs in the past.
Troops in armoured carriers sealed off the main road leading to the church while vehicles were transporting the dead and wounded to the hospital.
Some casualties were evacuated by air to nearby Zamboanga city.
“I have directed our troops to heighten their alert level, secure all places of worships and public places at once, and initiate proactive security measures to thwart hostile plans,” said Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana in a statement.
Jolo has long been troubled by the presence of Abu Sayyaf, an armed group blacklisted by the United States and the Philippines as a “terrorist organisation” because of years of bombings, kidnappings and beheadings.
No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, according to Al Jazeera’s Jamela Alindogan, reporting from Manila.
