A gunman burst into a casino in the Philippines on Friday, firing shots and setting gaming tables alight, and at least 36 people were killed, most suffocating in thick smoke, in what officials believe was a botched robbery.
There was no evidence linking the attack at the Resorts World Manila entertainment complex to fighting between government troops and Islamist militants in the country's south, said Ernesto Abella, a spokesman for President Rodrigo Duterte.
"All indications point to a criminal act by an apparently emotionally disturbed individual," Abella told a media conference.
"Although the perpetrator gave warning shots, there apparently was no indication that he wanted to do harm or shoot anyone."
Police said the gunman killed himself soon after the attack, and they later announced they were looking for a second "person of interest" who was believed to be a Philippine national.
Most of the dead suffocated in the chaos as guests and staff tried to flee choking smoke at the complex after the attack began shortly after midnight (1600 GMT).
Oscar Albayalde, chief of the capital's police office, said those that died were in the casino's main gaming area.
"What caused their deaths is the thick smoke," he told reporters. "The room was carpeted and of course the tables, highly combustible."
A Resorts World Manila official said the dead included 13 employees and 22 guests.
At dawn, the body of the suspected gunman was found in a hotel room in the smoldering complex, which is close to Ninoy Aquino International Airport and an air force base, police said.
"He burned himself inside the hotel room 510," national police chief Ronald dela Rosa told a media conference. "He lay down on the bed, covered himself in a thick blanket and apparently doused himself in gasoline."
Resort owner Travelers International Hotel Group Inc, a joint venture of the Philippines Alliance Global Group Inc and Genting Hong Kong Ltd, said authorities were seeking details.
Its shares were down 7 percent.
Officials said at least 54 people were hurt, some seriously, as they rushed to escape what was at first was believed to have been a militant attack.
REUTERS