50 children held hostage in Philippines

A group of unidentified gunmen have been holding about 50 school students hostage in Kabasalan town.

A group of unidentified gunmen have been holding about 50 school students hostage in Kabasalan town, Zamboanga Sibugay province in southern Philippines since Wednesday afternoon, according to local media reports.

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The website of the local newspaper Philippine Daily Inquirer quoted Chief Superintendent Jaime Caringal, Western Mindanao police chief, as saying the students were being held at gunpoint.

The reports said police are still trying to get more details about the hostage-taking.

Kabasalan is one of the remotest areas of Zamboanga Sibugay and is about 700 kms south of Manila.