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At least 19 people were killed and 48 wounded after two explosions fell on Jolo Cathedral in the southern Philippines on Sunday morning (27).
The first explosion took place inside the church during a mbad and the second was recorded outside the cathedral, told EFE spokesman of the National Police, Kimberly Molitas.
According to the authorities, emergency services are still working in the region and the number of dead and wounded could increase in the coming hours.
"We strongly condemn this heinous attack that has cost the lives, for whatever reason," said the director of the national police, Oscar Albayalde, in a statement about a possible attack by terrorist groups.
Most of the dead and wounded are civilians who accompany Sunday Mbad, but the military personnel responsible for ensuring the security of the place are also among the victims.
The head of the armed forces, Benjamin Madrigal, urged the population to "calm down" when the authorities began an operation to prosecute those responsible for the attack, which has still been claimed by no group or individual.
Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said the most serious injuries had been transported by helicopter to the Zamboanga hospital, while security was strengthened in all places of worship in the region.
This fact comes a few days after the referendum on the creation of a Muslim autonomous region in the south of the country, called Bangsamoro, conceived as a peaceful solution to decades of separatist conflict provoked by Islamist radicals.
The province of Sulu – of which Jolo is the capital – voted against membership in Bangsamoro, but since it is part of the Muslim Autonomous Region of Mindanao (ARMM), its votes are collectively calculated and belong to that province. new entity.
Sulu is a stronghold of several jihadist groups linked to the Islamic State, such as Abu Sayyaf and the Maute group, responsible for bloody attacks in the region.
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