Manila Explosion

Last Friday, a deadly explosion tore down three floors of Glorietta, one of the biggest shopping malls in Metro Manila. The blast killed eleven people and injured more than a hundred. I was kilometers away, in a different part of the city, when it happened. Preoccupied with other things, I did not have the chance to cover the incident, or even follow the news on the web and TV. Today, I went to the blast site, took some photos and offered a moment of silence for the dead and injured.


A blast-damaged vehicle parked across Glorietta.

While I was there, a fire broke out at one of the mall restaurants, causing another wave of panic. Employees and visitors were immediately evacuated from the building. Dozens of firetrucks and ambulances rushed to the scene. The place was littered with firemen, police, paramedics, and of course, the people from the media. The fire was eventually traced to an exhaust problem in the restaurant. There were no reports of injuries.


Firemen at Glorietta after the restaurant fire was contained.


People in the restaurant broke the windows to prevent
smoke suffocation when the fire broke out.


Evacuated employees from the mall shops.