Explosion during Catholic mass in Philippines kills three, injures nine

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Governor condemns ‘violent bombing’ at Mindanao State University.

An explosion at a university gymnasium in the southern Philippines has killed three people and wounded nine others, according to local authorities.

The blast ripped through a Catholic mass service on Sunday at Mindanao State University in Marawi City.

Governor Mamintal Alonto Adiong Jr, of the Lanao del Sur province in Mindanao, condemned the “violent bombing”.

“Here in my province, we uphold basic human rights, and that includes the right to religion,” Adiong said in a statement.

“Terroristic attacks on educational insitutions [sic] must also be condemned because these are places that promote the culture of peace and mold our youth to be the future shapers of this country.”

Mindanao State University said that it was “deeply saddened and appalled” by the attack and that it had suspended classes until further notice.

“We unequivocally condemn in the strongest possible terms this senseless and horrific act and extend our heartfelt condolences to the victims and their families. We are committed to providing support and assistance to those affected by this tragedy,” the university said in a statement.

A witness who was staying at a dormitory near the gymnasium told Al Jazeera that he heard a loud blast similar to an explosion of a power transformer.

The witness told Al Jazeera that he saw several police officers and ambulances being deployed in the area of the incident inside the main campus of the university.

Police said they were investigating the explosion, including the possibility that it was carried out by pro-Islamic State militants.

Mindanao has for decades been racked by violence amid an insurgency by Islamic rebel groups.

In 2017, Marawi was the site of an ISIL (ISIS)-inspired five-month siege that killed more than 1,000 people.