Blast kills 6 in Philippines capital

A huge explosion has hit a luxury apartment block in the Philippines’ capital, leaving at least six people dead, officials say.

Five other people were wounded when the blast occurred late Friday in a fifth floor condominium unit in “the Fort”, a high-end residential district in the Manila suburbs.

Debris from the building littered the area, with some pieces hurled dozens of meters (yards) by the force of the blast.

Police and fire investigators cordoned off the area, searching the building to find the cause of the blast.

All residents of the building were evacuated.

Hours after the blast Interior Secretary Mar Roxas visited the scene with President Benigno Aquino, saying it was too early to tell if the blast was due to a bomb or an accident.

He added that an investigation is underway.