Gunman takes dozens hostage in Manila shopping mall

Ted ALJIBE / AFP

About 30 people have been taken hostage by a gunman at a mall in the Philippine capital Manila.

Armed police and negotiators are on the scene, trying to end the standoff peacefully.

The gunman, a former security guard at the V-Mall in Manila's San Juan City, is demanding to speak to his former colleagues by video call.

A SWAT team has entered the V-Mall in San Juan's Greenhills commercial district after shoppers were safely evacuated.

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