Philippines gunmen still holding dozens of hostages

An armed group has seized dozens of hostages from a school in the southern Philippines, officials have said.

The Philippine military spokesman told the BBC all 75 hostages had been released but later reports indicated at least 55 people were still being held.

The kidnappers belong to a gang of former government-armed militia on the island of Mindanao, police say.

A BBC correspondent says there is no sign of a link to the killing of 57 people on the island last month.

The BBC's Rachel Harvey in Bangkok says the southern island of Mindanao is awash in weapons as the government has armed a number of civilian groups to help the military and police fight a number of insurgencies.

 

ABOUT 75 people, including school children and teachers, were taken as hostages by a group of armed men in Agusan del Sur Thursday, police and military reports said.

A military report showed the perpetrators were members of the organized crime group known as Perez Group.

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The incident happened around 6 a.m. in Sitio Maitom, Barangay San Martin in Prosperidad town.