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| Philippine poll attack toll rises | Philippine poll attack toll rises |
| (30 minutes later) | |
| At least 22 bodies have been found in the southern Philippines and police say they have found more in shallow graves. | At least 22 bodies have been found in the southern Philippines and police say they have found more in shallow graves. |
| The bodies are from a 40-strong group of politicians and journalists which was seized in an attack blamed on clan warfare ahead of next year's elections. | The bodies are from a 40-strong group of politicians and journalists which was seized in an attack blamed on clan warfare ahead of next year's elections. |
| The government has declared a state of emergency in the area which will give troops more freedom of manoeuvre, and has said it expects the toll to rise. | |
| The savagery of the attack has shocked the government and observers. | The savagery of the attack has shocked the government and observers. |
| There are conflicting reports about whether anyone survived an attack which left bodies mutilated. | There are conflicting reports about whether anyone survived an attack which left bodies mutilated. |
| More bodies | More bodies |
| All the victims were civilians, including the wife of the vice mayor of Buluan, a town in Ampatuan, Maguindanao province who had intended to file nomination papers for her husband to run for governor in local elections next year. | All the victims were civilians, including the wife of the vice mayor of Buluan, a town in Ampatuan, Maguindanao province who had intended to file nomination papers for her husband to run for governor in local elections next year. |
| "It's a big area where these bodies were found. They are finding a couple of bodies every couple of hours or so," Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno was quoted as saying by AFP news agency. | "It's a big area where these bodies were found. They are finding a couple of bodies every couple of hours or so," Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno was quoted as saying by AFP news agency. |
| He described a farming area covered in hastily dug graves, several kilometres away from where the killing is thought to have occurred. A bulldozer was parked nearby. | He described a farming area covered in hastily dug graves, several kilometres away from where the killing is thought to have occurred. A bulldozer was parked nearby. |
| Mr Puno said the extra bodies being recovered were on top of the 22 accounted for in the official death toll, but he would not speculate on how many people in total had been murdered. | Mr Puno said the extra bodies being recovered were on top of the 22 accounted for in the official death toll, but he would not speculate on how many people in total had been murdered. |
| "They are still looking for some missing persons. A number of other bodies were found. I can't really reveal the details now. It's a large number," Mr Puno told the ABS-CBN television network in the Philippines. | "They are still looking for some missing persons. A number of other bodies were found. I can't really reveal the details now. It's a large number," Mr Puno told the ABS-CBN television network in the Philippines. |
| An investigator at the scene told reporters all victims had been shot at close range, some in their vehicles and others apparently while fleeing. | An investigator at the scene told reporters all victims had been shot at close range, some in their vehicles and others apparently while fleeing. |
| Elections in the Philippines are often marred by violence, particularly in the south, where clashes connected to local rivalries and insurgencies erupt. | Elections in the Philippines are often marred by violence, particularly in the south, where clashes connected to local rivalries and insurgencies erupt. |
| The country is to hold nationwide elections in May 2010. Registration for local and national races began earlier this month. | The country is to hold nationwide elections in May 2010. Registration for local and national races began earlier this month. |
| Jesus Dureza, adviser to President Gloria Arroyo in the volatile Mindanao region, said it was "a gruesome massacre of civilians unequalled in recent history". | Jesus Dureza, adviser to President Gloria Arroyo in the volatile Mindanao region, said it was "a gruesome massacre of civilians unequalled in recent history". |
| Both communist rebels and separatist Muslim insurgents are fighting government troops there, and local politics can be dominated by strongmen backed up by private militias. | Both communist rebels and separatist Muslim insurgents are fighting government troops there, and local politics can be dominated by strongmen backed up by private militias. |
| The BBC's Vaudine England says both clans in this case are allied to Mrs Arroyo, limiting analysts' expectations of any effective response from the central government. | The BBC's Vaudine England says both clans in this case are allied to Mrs Arroyo, limiting analysts' expectations of any effective response from the central government. |