Indonesian Citizen Safe at Gun Attack on Manila Casino

MANILA - Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has confirmed that no Indonesian citizens were among the victims of an attack on a casino in Manila that resulted in the deaths of at least 36 people.

Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Arrmanatha Nasir stated during a press briefing on Friday (2/6) that Indonesian Embassy in Manila has coordinated with local authority of Philippines following the attack that occurred on Friday midnight in a local casino-hotel complex.

"The initial information showed that no Indonesian was among the victims," Nasir said.

Indonesian representative in Manila and the local authority have kept the lines of communication open since the investigation got underway.

As known, dozens of people are feared dead in a fire that started after a gunman burst into a Manila casino and set gaming tables alight.

At least 36 people had died, mostly due to suffocation following the blaze, a spokesman for the Philippines president said. Investigations so far suggested a criminal rather than terrorist intent, he added.

The unidentified lone gunman stormed the casino at Resorts World Manila, a complex of hotels, restaurants, stores and a sprawling multi-floor gambling area, in the early hours of Friday morning.

He fled with stolen casino chips worth at least 113m Philippine pesos (£1.7m, $2.3m), then forced his way into a room in an adjoining hotel and killed himself by dousing himself in gasoline and setting himself alight, police said.

The national police chief, Ronald dela Rosa, said security footage showed the gunman ignoring a guard who tried to question him at the complex’s entrance, then going straight to the casino. He stuffed a backpack with gambling chips, fired an assault rifle at TV screens and set gambling tables on fire by pouring gasoline on to them from a two-litre bottle, Dela Rosa said.

It was not clear how he smuggled the gasoline and rifle into the crowded casino. The bag of high-value gambling chips was found in a toilet. Dela Rosa described the gunman as white, about 6ft tall and English-speaking.

The Philippines has been on heightened alert amid a crisis in the south of the country, where troops have been battling Islamist rebels since 23 May.

An Islamic State (ISIS)-linked Filipino operative claimed ISIS soldiers were responsible for Friday’s attack, but police maintained that the gunman was acting alone and that no connection had been established with the fighting in the south.

Armed police were deployed at about 2 am on Friday (1800 GMT Thursday) after gunfire and loud bangs were heard inside the casino building.

Those who died were in the casino’s main gaming area, said Oscar Albayalde, chief of the capital’s police office.

“What caused their deaths is the thick smoke. The room was carpeted and the tables (were) highly combustible,” he told.

Taiwan’s foreign ministry said four Taiwan nationals were among those killed and a South Korean foreign ministry official said one South Korean had died, apparently after a heart attack. At least 54 people were hurt, some seriously, as they rushed to escape, officials said.