Mandarin Course

Philippine SWAT storm bus with hostages in Manila

Philippine commandos have stormed the bus with 15 Chinese tourists held hostage by a former policeman, ending the 11-hour standoff in Manila. Eight of the hostages have been confirmed dead. The gunman has also been killed in the storming. The operation started with police firing on the bus’ tires to immobilize it, then using hammers to smash windows, doors and windscreen. They were forced to withdraw after a series of hunshots rang out from inside the vehicle, but renewed the storming later.