Chris How to screw up a hostage situation. Swat team take half an hour and over 5 attempts to get into a bus! And they are still not in!
- Chris"A serious kidnap incident happened in the Philippines. Hong Kong residents should avoid all travel to the country," a government spokesman said in a statement.
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Hong Kong's leader Donald Tsang'
Calling it a "major tragedy", he expressed some disappointment with the handling of the incident by Filipino authorities.
"The way it was handled, particularly the outcome, I find is diappointing," said Tsang.... See more
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Sky News Foreign Affairs editor Tim Marshall said: "The operation was pretty unimpressive, to be hitting it with a sledgehammer without a ladder did not seem to be the best way to get into the bus.
"They tried in five places to get in and they failed on each ocassion and that means they didn't have the proper kit."
Eight Tourists Killed In Bus Hijack Battle
6:44pm UK, Monday August 23, 2010
Eight tourists have been killed and two seriously injured after a sacked policeman hijacked a tourist bus in the Philippines.
The deaths on the hijacked bus, which carried 20 tourists and five staff on a three-day visit from Hong Kong, were confirmed by President Benigno Aquino.
The gunman, identified as 55-year-old ex-police captain Rolando Mendoza who was armed with an M-16 assault rifle, had stopped the bus in a sprawling park.
He pasted a handwritten, signed note to the door of the bus which read: "Big deal will start after 3pm today."
Mendoza had earlier threatened to kill the hostages in a live telephone interview with a local radio station if police approached the bus.
"I know they will kill me, I'm telling them to leave because anytime I will do the same here," Mendoza said.
Police storm the bus carrying tourists from Hong Kong
The gunman allowed a family with young children to leave the bus before police approached the vehicle.
Police commandos tried to storm the bus but they struggled at first with a sledgehammer to smash side windows, door and windscreen.
Sky News Foreign Affairs editor Tim Marshall said: "The operation was pretty unimpressive, to be hitting it with a sledgehammer without a ladder did not seem to be the best way to get into the bus.
"They tried in five places to get in and they failed on each ocassion and that means they didn't have the proper kit."
Police Colonel Nelson Yabut said: "The hostage-taker was killed. He chose to shoot it out with our men.
"On our first assault, Captain Mendoza was sprawled in the middle of the aisle and shot one of our operatives.
Gunman Rolando Mendoza's brother GregorioHe was disappointed that he did well in police service but was dismissed for a crime he did not do.
Colonel Yabut said a woman was seen moving at the back of the bus during the first attempt, and on the second assault 30 commandos had used tear gas and flash bombs.
Mendoza moved to the bus door, where snipers shot him.
"On our second assault we killed him," Colonel Yabut said.
"We did everything to negotiate and end this peacefully, but he gave us no choice."
Police could be seen removing the body from the front of the bus before entering the vehicle and minutes later a number of hostages were helped off the bus.
Hong Kong Chief Executive Tsang, citing China's Foreign Ministry, had earlier said seven Hong Kong residents were killed, two severely wounded with the remaining six hospitalised in the "major tragedy".
"The way it was handled, particularly the outcome, I find is disappointing," Mr Tsang told a news conference in the city.
One survivor, who identified herself as Mrs Leung, told reporters that her husband was killed as he tried to stop the gunman from attacking other passengers on the bus.
The woman was still in shock as she was carried out from the bus following a 12-hour standoff, but demanded to know why Manila police came to their rescue so late.
"It's too late. Why were there no one to help us after so many hours?" she said at the scene of the siege, in comments broadcast on Hong Kong's Cable TV.
"There were so many people on the bus - no one came to our rescue. Why?
"We were in fear for so many hours. I find it really cruel."
A hostage negotiator talks to foreign tourists as they are freed
Afterwards President Aquino expressed his deep sympathy for the incident.
"With the rest of the Filipino people, I wish to offer our deepest condolences to the families of the victims whose lives were lost in the hostage situation," he said in a statement.
According to newspaper reports from 2008, Mendoza was among five police officers who had been charged with robbery, extortion and threats.
A Manila hotel chef filed a complaint alleging the policemen falsely accused him of using drugs to extort money.
Mendoza's younger brother, Gregorio, also a policeman, said his brother felt that "injustice was done on him".
"He was disappointed that he did well in police service but was dismissed for a crime he did not do."
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