NDRRMC takes back higher fatality count in Serendra: Only 3 dead, not 6, as agency earlier reported

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council on Saturday morning corrected its own report that six people died as a result of the blast that hit Serendra on Friday, revising its report back to list three fatalaties.

The NDRRMC early Saturday had raised the casualty count from the explosion that rocked the Serendra residential development in Bonifacio Global City, doubling the fatalities list, and raising the number of injured to five. Within an hour of posting its report, however, the NDRRMC took back its statement.

The NDRRMC had said, wrongly, that the dead included three unidentified males in Unit 501 of Two Serendra, from where the blast emanated.

In fact, only three passengers of an Abenson delivery van that was crushed by debris from the explosion, remained the only fatalities.

Five passengers of a Hyundai Starex van, including a nine-year-old girl, were also injured by debris from the blast and brought to the nearby St. Lukes Medical Center within Bonifacio Global City.

Authorities continue to explore all possible angles as to what caused the explosion. DILG Secretary Mar Roxas said it was too early to say whether the blast was caused by a bombing, a gas leak, or some sort of combustion.

Ayala Land Inc., developer of Serendra, said it was fully cooperating with fire and police investigators.

source: interaksyon.com

Police confirm explosion at Serendra, Taguig; two reported killed

Police on Friday evening confirmed that an explosion rocked Two Serendra building at the Bonifacio Global City in Taguig around 8:07 in the evening. Twitter users said the explosion caused "considerable damage".

A delivery van was damaged as a result of the explosion, reported Radyo Singko 92.3 News FM. Posts on Twitter suggested that a portion of a wall fell on the delivery van, which had body markings for "Abenson's". At least two people were reported killed with an undetermined number of people injured.

Radyo Singko reported that a portion of 11th Avenue, near SM Aura, had been closed off by the police. The cause of the blast was not immediately known.

A resident of Two Serendra Building B told cable news channel ANC that the explosion, from his vantage point at the 6th floor of the building, occurred below his unit's level. Radyo Singko said the blast may have emanated from a condominium unit on the 4th floor. Video posted on Twitter showed an ambulance on site.

The blast took place when Bonifacio Global City had a lot of foot-traffic owing to a pay-day Friday. The Taguig City administrator said fire and police teams were on top of the situation, and were already on site to establish crowd control, as well as to conduct initial investigations.

The explosion appeared to emanate from the residential zone of Two Serendra, but Twitter users said the blast was felt at the commercial areas on the ground level of Bonifacio High Street.

source: interaksyon.com