A GRENADE blast killed 10 inmates and wounded the warden in what could have been a botched jail break inside the Parañaque City Jail Thursday night.
A spokesman for the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology said in a televised briefing that the warden, Gerald Bantag, needed to undergo surgery for multiple injuries.
He said the initial investigation showed that the incident was a possible jailbreak and hostage taking.
The inmates had sought to speak with Bantag in his office about their reported transfer but arrived with a pistol, a fan knife and a grenade.
A commotion broke out in Bantag’s office during which the grenade exploded.
Eight inmates were killed immediately, while two others were declared dead on arrival at the hospital.
BJMP spokesman Senior Inspector Xavier Solda said eight of the dead inmates were linked to illegal drugs.
Before he was taken to hospital, Bantag told investigators that he had exchanged fire with the inmates, using his service firearm. It was then that the grenade exploded.
Before the incident, Bantag had said he wanted to conduct an inspection of the jail after receiving information that contraband was coming into it.
The slain inmates were identified as Waren Manampen, Ronald Domdom, Rodel Domdom, Danilo Pineda, Joseph Villasor, Oliver Sarreal, Jeremy Flores and Jonathan Ilas, and Chinese nationals Jacky Huang and Yonghan Cai.