Death toll from hostage crisis at 9, including hostage-taker

The death count from Monday's bloody hostage crisis in Manila was tallied at nine as of early Tuesday, with an eighth hostage reported as having been brought to a Pasay City hospital and later declared dead, and the hostage-taker as the ninth fatality. Radio dzBB reported one of the latest fatalities was a woman who died at the San Juan de Dios Hospital in Pasay City, initially identified only as Doris. Two other hostages were declared dead at the Ospital ng Maynila, four at the Manila Doctors Hospital, and one at the Philippine General Hospital.

The ninth fatality was the hostage taker himself, dismissed Senior Inspector Rolando Mendoza. On the other hand, at least six hostages were still being treated in other hospitals in Manila. For more than 11 hours Monday, Mendoza attracted international attention by holding hostage at least 15 tourists from Hong Kong hostage. [See: Hostage crisis ends in bloody carnage; 8 hostages dead] He had demanded that criminal charges earlier filed against him be dropped, and he be reinstated to the police service. Monday's incident drew sharp criticism against the police's handling of the case. President Benigno Aquino III himself said he was not satisfied with the way the incident was handled. Even the business community was also not pleased with the bloody way the incident ended, according to a report by dzBB's Denver Trinidad. Mendoza 'ready to die' Mendoza, interviewed on Radio Mindanao Network shortly before he was killed Monday evening, had said he was ready to die. He even warned snipers in the area he would not hesitate to “execute" hostages if authorities won’t heed to his demands. "Handa ako mamatay ngayong araw na ito... Yung mga sniper pag di sila umalis sa kanilang pwesto ay sasampolan ko sila," he said. — LBG, GMANews.TV