Explosion inside university gym in S. Philippines kills 3, injures 7

An explosion occurred inside a gym of Mindanao State University in Marawi City, Lanao del Sur province in the southern Philippines on Sunday morning, killing at least three and injuring nine, police said.

The blast occurred past 7 a.m. local time when students and teachers gathered for a Catholic mass inside the gym, according to local police.

Police were investigating the type of explosive device used in the blast.

The Mindanao State University condemned "this senseless and horrific act," saying it was "deeply saddened by and appalled by the act of violence."

The university said it has decided to suspend classes until further notice and has deployed additional security personnel to safeguard the campus.

Marawi City is the capital and the largest city of Lanao del Sur province on Mindanao island.

In 2017, local terrorists pledging support to the Islamic State, including a faction of the Abu Sayyaf Group, the Maute Group, among others, occupied and held the lakeside city for five months, resulting in over 1,200 deaths, hundreds of thousands of residents displaced, and many parts of the city destroyed.