Thirty-four bodies have been found inside Resorts World Manila, which was attacked by a lone gunman in the early hours of Friday morning, according to a local official.

The victims did not appear to have been shot, but indications were that they had suffocated, Bureau of Fire Protection, Southern Police District Director P/Supt. Tomas Apolinario said in an interview that aired on local media Friday.

“Most of the victims were women who were found dead inside the bathroom,” Apolinario said.

The armed suspect forced his way into the Resorts World Manila casino around midnight local time, and starting shooting at gambling machines and setting tables on fire, according to witnesses and police.

Video showed panicked guests running for the exits, the sound of gunshots and smoke coming from the upper floors of buildings.

Hours later, police confirmed the gunman had committed suicide by setting himself on fire in one of the hotel guest rooms. He was found in the room, burned beyond recognition, next to a machine gun and a .380 calibre pistol, CNN Philippines reported.

“The lone gunman committed suicide by setting himself on fire in one of the rooms on the fifth floor of the Resort World Hotel,” the National Capitol Region Police Chief Oscar Albayalde told reporters in Manila Friday.

Resorts World Manila, also known as RWM, is a resort complex in Newport City, a residential and commercial center in metropolitan Manila.

The complex, which is described on RWM’s website as “the first and largest integrated resort in the Philippines,” is across from Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

In a statement posted to its Facebook page Friday, the resort said it had “extended medical assistance to the 54 individuals who were taken to nearby hospitals.”

Its security team, along with the Bureau of Fire Protection, were currently conducting “search and rescue operations on all floors,” the statement said.

Hundreds of guests and employees rushed out of the resort hotel around midnight Thursday (noon ET) after the masked gunman on the second floor began shooting a gun, hotel employees fleeing the scene told CNN Philippines.

Jay Dones, a witness on the scene, said some employees had told him a gunman fired shots in the air.

“One of the employees told me that the suspect began pouring the contents of the bottle on one of the tables and lit it on fire,” Dones said.

Witnesses also told about hearing what sounded like explosions.

“I could smell some kind of smoke that came from an explosive device,” said Tikos Low, who said he was in the resort’s casino along with a few hundred other people, when the attack began.

The resort was put on lockdown and heavily armed SWAT officers wearing bulletproof vests and body armor descended on the scene.

The gunman didn’t appear to be firing at people, said Philippines National Police Chief Ronald Dela Rosa early Friday, as he announced that police weren’t treating the incident as terror-related.

“It’s too early to tell, but so far as we are concerned there was no ISIS,” Dela Rosa said. “If this is ISIS, all the people gambling inside should have been shot or already been bombed. He didn’t hurt anyone. Those who were injured got their injuries when they jumped from the windows,” he added.

The man ransacked a room and stole gaming chips, Dela Rosa said. He had stuffed chips totaling 113 million pesos ($2.3 million) in a backpack, but this had been recovered by police, he added.

Dela Rosa added that the suspect appeared to be Caucasian and had a mustache.

All terminals at Ninoy Aquino International Airport were placed on lockdown because of the attack, according to Robert Echano with airport operations. The airport is about a mile away from the resort.

Later the airport returned to normal operations but was on heightened alert, an airport official said.

In Quezon City, one of the municipalities in metro Manila, Police District Director Guillermo Eleazar ordered all 12 police stations in the city to set up checkpoints and to maximize police visibility.

All mobile patrol units and tactical motorized units of QCPD were deployed to secure the city.

The Philippines has been grappling with incidents of terrorism, especially on the southern island of Mindanao. There, in the city of Marawi, government forces have been battling ISIS-linked militants for control of the city.

The battle for Marawi, a largely Muslim city, has displaced at least 70,000 residents and left 140 people dead. The terrorist siege began last week, just as Muslims worldwide started to mark the holy month of Ramadan.

Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte declared martial law over the island of Mindanao in light of the crisis.

Duterte also suggested he might extend martial law through year’s end or impose it nationwide, alarming critics. On Friday, Dela Rosa ruled out declaring martial law on the main island of Luzon, where Manila is located. </s> At least 36 people died in the Philippines when an upscale hotel and casino complex was attacked in the early hours of Friday morning, local time. AP reports that a Philippine operative of ISIS claimed responsibility, but police say the attack was not linked to terrorism .

Here's what we know so far.

What happened and where?

Gunshots and explosions were heard shortly after midnight Friday local time at Resorts World Manila, opposite the city's airport. Resorts World is a complex of hotels, casinos, shops and restaurants in Newport City, one of the most affluent districts of the Philippine capital.

Police and troops were mobilized to the scene following witness reports of a gunman breaking in, as smoke started coming out of an upper floor gaming room.

National police chief Gen. Ronald Dela Rosa told media that the lone attacker set gambling tables doused with gasoline alight, causing the choking black smoke that led to the fatalities.

What are the casualties?

AP reports that at least 36 people died at the scene from suffocation, while some 70 others were hurt in the rush to escape. Resorts World Manila confirmed in a statement that at least 54 were taken to nearby hospitals for treatment.

According to Resorts World, the perpetrator took "his own life by setting himself on fire followed by a self-inflicted gunshot wound."

Who was the attacker, and what was the motive?

So far, authorities say that one gunman, described as Caucasian and foreign, was behind the attack. While U.S. President Donald Trump said publicly that the violence had "terror" links, Dela Rosa said there was no solid evidence linking the case to terrorism.

The gunman took large quantities of gaming chips during the attack, leading some to speculate if it was a bungled robbery. He also shot up gaming machines and ATMs, according to CNN, but did not appear to take aim at patrons.

The attack comes at a highly sensitive time, with the country on alert as government troops attempts to retake the southern city of Marawi from ISIS-linked militants. There have been fears that the terror group would stage diversionary attacks elsewhere in the Philippines, but even if those fears prove unfounded, the apparent infiltration of ISIS into the country's south has experts worried.

"Regardless of the affiliation and identity of the assailants, whether t ied to ISIS or just a criminal group, the attack took place in one of the poshest and safest areas in the country," writes Richard Heydarian, assistant professor of political science at Manila's De La Salle University, in an email to TIME.

President Rodrigo Duterte's efforts to reassure outsiders of the safety of the Philippines would be "an uphill battle," he said, adding that the attack may have exposed intelligence and security failures.

A number of embassies in the Philippines have issued advisory messages for their nationals, reports the Philippine Daily Inquirer . "The deterioration in security in Mindanao has resulted in a more volatile security environment in the Philippines," the Australian foreign ministry said . </s> Police are still trying to identify the lone gunman who attacked Resorts World Manila on June 2

MANILA, Philippines – Resorts World Manila has promised to give financial assistance to families of those killed during a “lone wolf” attack on the posh entertainment complex.



In a prepared statement read to media on Saturday, June 3, Resorts World Manila Chief Operating Officer Stephen Reilly said the company will give P1 million to each of the families of the victims. 



Some 37 employees and guests were trapped on the 2nd floor of the casino, where VIP guests stay. The gunman, whom police had yet to identify, set ablaze gaming tables as he made his way across the casino, producing thick smoke that suffocated the victims. 



Bureau of Fire Protection National Capital Region (BFP NCR) chief Senior Superintendent Wilberto Rico Neil Kwan Tiu said that based on studies, it takes just minutes for a person to lose consciousness and eventually die from suffocation when trapped inside a burning room. 



Resorts World management will also provide funeral and burial assistance to the victims, said Reilly. 



“Nothing can ever replace the lives of our loved ones. Yesterday, we all lost so many lives because of a senseless act,” he said. 



Relatives of the casualties had earlier lamented the apparent lack of support from the Resorts World. (READ: TIMELINE: Resorts World Manila attack)



The attack was likely an attempted robbery, police insisted, though terror group ISIS had claimed responsibility for the attack. (READ: Terrorism and ISIS at Resorts World Attack?)

Metro Manila police chief Director Oscar Albayalde said none of the evidence, so far, would suggest that was an act of terror. Malacañang reiterated this on Saturday, as it brushed aside the ISIS claim. 



After a brief encounter with casino security and the police, the gunman forced open a hotel room and set the hallway and his room on fire. He eventually shot himself with his M4 rifle. (READ: Officials contradict each other on Resorts World Manila attack)



Police are still trying to identify the gunman, who was described as tall, “mestizo (fair-skinned).” Contrary to earlier statements, police said on June 3 that the gunman was apparently fluent in Filipino. 



Police had earlier spoken to the taxi driver who brought the gunman to the Resorts World Manila complex. Authorities first claimed that the gunman drove himself to the establishment. (READ: Casino targeted with suicide attack because it's 'haram' – ISIS)



Maxims Hotel and Resorts World remain closed to the public. – Rappler.com </s> (CNN) Thirty-seven people have been killed in a Manila casino, following an attack in the early hours of Friday morning by a lone gunman who fired shots from an assault rifle and set fire to gambling tables.

The victims, who did not appear to have been shot, are thought to have died of suffocation, Southern Police District Director Superintendent Tomas Apolinario said Friday. "Most of the victims were women who were found dead inside the bathroom," he added.

Despite ongoing ISIS-affiliated militant activity in the southern Philippines island of Mindanao, authorities ruled out terrorism as the motive for the attack. However, late Friday, ISIS claimed responsibility in a statement from its Amaq media wing , which said "Islamic State fighters" carried out the attack.

Earlier, authorities said 35 bodies were found in the casino area in Resorts World Manila after a lone gunman fired shots and set fire to gambling tables in the early hours of Friday morning.

Police told CNN Philippines that another two bodies were found in the hotel, although it was not mentioned whether these were hotel guests or employees

Thick smoke from fires set by the suspect delayed a search of the building, but officers later discovered them during clearing operations, National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) Director Oscar Albayalde said.

All of the bodies were found in Resort World Manila's casino area, he said. Of those killed, more than 20 were resort guests and 13 were staff. More than 70 people were injured. The gunman later killed himself.

Manila police chief Oscar Albayalde told reporters that police think it's likely the suspect was a foreigner. "He looks Caucasian, he talks English, he's big and he's white, so he's probably a foreigner," he said.

How the attack unfolded

The armed suspect forced his way into the Resorts World Manila (RWM), an upmarket hotel and casino complex near the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, around midnight local time (Thursday ET).

According to security footage viewed by police, the gunman entered via the parking lot. Police later searched a car and found registration information which they haven't made public.

The attacker walked straight into the building, past a lone security guard who panicked when she saw the suspect's automatic rifle, Albayalde said.

Reilly said only guards on the complex's perimeter are armed. Internal security officers don't carry weapons, and didn't try to engage the suspect, fearing escalation of the situation, he said.

Video of the scenes showed guests frantically running for the exits, the sound of gunshots and smoke coming from the upper floors of buildings.

Photos: Shooting at Philippines resort Relatives of a victim sit in front of the Resorts World Hotel, a popular tourist site in Manila, the capital of the Philippines that was on lockdown after a shooting on June 2, 2017. A police official said the incident was a robbery attempt by one person and not a terrorist attack. Hide Caption 1 of 10 Photos: Shooting at Philippines resort Firemen break a glass window of the Resorts World Hotel following the assault. Hide Caption 2 of 10 Photos: Shooting at Philippines resort Firemen arrive at the Resorts World Hotel. Hide Caption 3 of 10 Photos: Shooting at Philippines resort A police officer stands guard outside the resort. Hide Caption 4 of 10 Photos: Shooting at Philippines resort Smoke rises from the resort complex, which has an array of hotels, restaurants and bars. Hide Caption 5 of 10 Photos: Shooting at Philippines resort Police take positions outside the resort. Hide Caption 6 of 10 Photos: Shooting at Philippines resort A victim is stretchered away from the scene. Hide Caption 7 of 10 Photos: Shooting at Philippines resort It was not immediately clear how many people were hurt in the attack, which started around midnight on Thursday, June 1. Stephen Reilly, the resort's chief operating officer, later told reporters that about 30 people were hurt and nobody was killed, CNN Philippines reported. Hide Caption 8 of 10 Photos: Shooting at Philippines resort A victim is helped at the resort. Hide Caption 9 of 10 Photos: Shooting at Philippines resort Emergency responders tend to a victim. Hide Caption 10 of 10

The man ransacked a room and stole gaming chips, Philippines National Police Chief Ronald Dela Rosa said early Friday. He had stuffed chips totaling 113 million pesos ($2.3 million) in a backpack, but this had been recovered by police, he added.

Apolinario confirmed that during the incident the gunman had engaged in a "firefight" with casino employees.

Stephen Reilly, the resort's Chief Operating Officer, said the attacker was shot and wounded by security guards, and retreated into the hotel room where he doused a bed he was lying on in gasoline and shot himself.

"We would like to extend our gratitude to our security team," Reilly said.

"He had taken his own life by setting himself on fire followed by a self-inflicted gunshot wound," the statement said. Police confirmed he had died in a room on the fifth floor of the complex's hotel.

CNN Philippines reported he was found in the room, burned beyond recognition, next to an automatic weapon and a .380 caliber pistol.

Emergency responders tend to a victim Friday at the Resorts World Manila.

Witness: 'I could smell some kind of smoke'

Hundreds of guests and employees rushed out of the resort hotel after the gunman began shooting on the second floor, hotel employees fleeing the scene told CNN Philippines.

Jay Dones, a witness on the scene, said some employees had told him a gunman fired shots in the air.

"One of the employees told me that the suspect began pouring the contents of the bottle on one of the tables and lit it on fire," Dones said.

Witnesses also told about hearing what sounded like explosions.

"I could smell some kind of smoke that came from an explosive device," said Tikos Low, who said he was in the resort's casino along with a few hundred other people when the attack began.

The resort was put on lockdown and heavily armed SWAT officers wearing bulletproof vests and body armor descended on the scene.

The gunman didn't appear to be firing at people, said PNP Chief Dela Rosa.

Soldiers stand in front of the Resorts World Hotel following an attack in Manila on June 2, 2017.

Airport locked down

All terminals at Ninoy Aquino International Airport were placed on lockdown because of the attack, according to Robert Echano with airport operations. The airport is about a mile away from the resort.

Later the airport returned to normal operations but was on heightened alert, an airport official said.

Security remains on "high alert" status, a statement from the airport said.

In Quezon City, one of the municipalities in metro Manila, Police District Director Guillermo Eleazar ordered all 12 police stations in the city to set up checkpoints and to maximize police visibility. </s> What does the attack on Resorts World Manila mean? Is it really a robbery attempt or a terrorist attack?

MANILA, Philippines - Rappler talks to former interior secretary Raffy Alunan on the attack on Resorts World Manila early Friday morning, June 2, 2017.

At least 37 people were killed when a "lone gunman" fired shots and set ablaze gaming tables at the casino floor. Police say the deaths were due to suffocation from smoke inhalation.

Alunan served two Philippine presidents – first as the tourism secretary of President Corazon Aquino, and interior secretary of President Fidel Ramos. He ran for senator in the 2016 elections but lost. He

In 1996, he left government to pursue a Masters degree in Public Administration from the Harvard John F. Kennedy School of Government. </s> Presidential Spokesman Ernesto Abella also denies a claim by ISIS that the terror group was behind the deadly Resorts World Manila attack

MANILA, Philippines – Malacañang said it suspects that possible negligence by Resorts World Manila led to the shooting incident that killed 37 people and injured 54 others in the posh casino hotel.

In an interview with state-run dzRB on Saturday, June 3, Presidential Spokesman Ernesto Abella said the Palace shares this view with Duterte ally Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III.

"While tightening anti-terror measures, we share the Senate President's concern of a possible negligence by Resorts World not only in casino security, but also in building design and safety protocols," Abella said.

He added that as gaming regulator, the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor) "will do a full audit of all casinos."

"On the security lapses of Resorts World Manila, let us allow authorities to finish the investigation, and we'll begin to look into the security breach of Resorts World Manila. Once the investigation is completed, they will submit their findings and recommendations," the presidential spokesman said.

Resorts World Manila earlier denied the alleged security lapses in Friday's incident. Meanwhile, relatives of those who died in Friday's attack complained that Resorts World Manila has not helped them enough.

Abella made his remarks not long after a lone gunman opened fire and burned part of the Resorts World Manila casino – an act claimed by the terrorist Islamic State (ISIS), but dismissed by the Philippine National Police as a case of robbery.

On ISIS' claim that their "fighters" launched the Resorts World Manila attack, Abella said, "They may claim credit but according to our evidence, it is not so."

At the same time, Abella urged "the police, the media, and the public to please avoid speculations."

Official sources have contradicted each other, however, since the shooting incident broke out on Friday.

Authorities themselves have even fueled speculations about the gunman's motive, with investigators citing an unconfirmed report that the suspect lost as much as P100 million* ($2.02 million) from gambling. – Rappler.com </s> CAIRO (Reuters) - Islamic State has claimed responsibility for an attack on a casino in the Philippine capital Manila that killed at least 36 people on Friday, the group’s Amaq news agency said, after officials said there was no evidence of militant involvement.

A gunman burst into the Resorts World Manila entertainment complex on Friday, firing shots, setting gaming tables alight and killing at least 36 people, all suffocating in thick smoke, in what officials have believed was a botched robbery.

“Islamic State fighters carried out the Manila attack in the Philippines,” the news agency said. </s> MANILA, June 4 (Reuters) - The lone gunman behind Friday's deadly attack on a casino in the Philippine capital has been identified as Jessie Javier Carlos, a 42-year old Filipino, police said. "We have finally established the identity of the perpetrator," Oscar Albayalde, chief of the capital's police office, told a media briefing on Sunday. "He is heavily indebted due to being hooked on casino gambling, according to his immediate family," Albayalde said, reiterating the attack was not a terrorist act.

The casino's CCTV showed the gunman firing shots at the ceiling and setting gaming tables ablaze. At least 36 people died. (Reporting by Karen Lema; Editing by Kim Coghill) </s> FIRE of unknown origin broke out midmorning Sunday at the Waterfront Manila Pavilion Hotel & Casino in the tourist belt in Ermita district, with initial reports putting the death toll at four people, and over a dozen others reportedly trapped.

The four fatalities did not make it alive at the nearby Manila Doctor’s Hospital, city authorities said. Rescue units were trying to save some 20 hotel guests believed trapped inside the hotel.

Meanwhile, the Manila City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said six other people were injured in the fire and at least 20 hotel guests remained trapped.

Fire broke out at the hotel at 9:52 a.m., with the fire’s alarm raised to Task Force Bravo.

In scenes that revived anxiety over the safety of casinos — over three dozen people were dead, trapped in the Resorts World hotel casino fire last year started by a gambling addict who went amok — the Waterfront Pavilion’s casino area was ablaze; so were the areas from the mezzanine to the third floor.

The chief of the Manila Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, Johnny Yu, said their effort was focused on preventing flames from affecting the upper floors.

Authorities closed off the perimeter of the 22-storey hotel at the corner of United Nations Avenue and Maria Orosa Street in Ermita district.

EYEWITNESS

 In a Facebook post, Francis Raymund Magallnez Gonzales gave an eyewitness account of the fire. He and some friends had gone to Luneta park near the hotel from Friday night until the break of dawn Saturday for their usual sessions of playing quiz games. He and another friend decided to stay longer in the area, and about 10:00 a.m., “we saw something peculiar and strange at a distance. A cloud of caramel-colored smoke is billowing from the area of the Manila Pavilion Hotel.”

His friend, AJ Saenz, initially exclaimed, “Sunog [Fire!],” and they watched the smoke rise. They “mistakenly thought that an LPG tank has just exploded just at the sidewalk near the hotel.” However, as the smoke kept billowing, they decided to approach the fire scene. It was 10:20 a.m. Soon, said Mr. Gonzales, firetrucks started arriving, together with ambulances and police cars.

“The Maria Orosa facade is spewing smoke. We also saw smoke at the far rear side. AJ found a young man (with) a wet towel hanging on his shoulders and his left big toe is bleeding. My friend took his first aid kit and I assisted him in cleaning and dressing the wound. Without asking his name, we found out that he works in the hotel and has just evacuated together with a colleague,” recounted Mr. Gonzalez.

They then saw a “white helicopter around 12:00 noon to help those trapped at the top of the building. But at around 12:30 p.m., we saw the smoke at the distance thickening, and firetrucks are pouring into the area nonstop. I rose up to check again the place and saw the Maria Orosa street in front of the hotel all in blinding smoke.”

Then, more firetrucks, police cars and people. “I looked for an alternative route to get closer to the hotel, going to Taft Avenue and right towards UN Avenue. I realized that the half of UN Avenue is in eye-stinging toxic smoke. I went out of the area and as I [walked] away, a loud explosion” was heard at exactly 12:43 p.m.

The hotel was still on fire as of Sunday afternoon. An initial statement by the hotel management read: “A fire broke out at Manila Pavilion Hotel around 9 this morning, March 18, 2018.”

“The hotel management has taken steps to ensure the safety and security of our hotel guests and employees. We will issue a full report once a thorough investigation has been completed,” the statement also read. — News5-InterAksyon
At least 37 people are killed in a deliberately lit fire at Resorts World Manila in the Philippines. The perpetrator stole gaming chips and fired gun shots before committing suicide.