At least nine people have been killed and more than 20 seriously injured in a bomb blast on the southern Philippine island of Jolo.
The bomb was planted on the ground floor of a two-storey
building along a busy street in the centre of Jolo town. Those
killed were mostly employees working in a cooperative there.
Police set up road blocks around the town and many businesses closed early following the blast.
Part of the building's facade fell to the ground after the explosion, the second bomb attack to hit the area this year.
No group has claimed responsibility, but Jolo is a known stronghold of the Abu Sayyaf rebels, who are said to have links with al-Qaeda.
