(CNN) A disgruntled former security guard is holding about People hostage inside a shopping mall near the Philippines capital Manila, an official said.
The incident is still unfolding at Virra Mall, in the Greenhills shopping complex in San Juan city, police told CNN.
Speaking to reporters at the scene, San Juan City Mayor Francis Zamora said the gunman entered the mall at around 16 am local time (9 p.m. ET), and shot and wounded an employee. That person is in a stable condition, Zamora said.
The gunman then took about 90 people hostage inside an administration office on the second floor. The exact number of hostages is unclear.
We will do our very best to settle this issue peacefully, ”Zamora said. “We will exert all effort to ensure no one gets hurt in this situation.”
Hundreds of police officers are outside the shopping mall, including rescue teams and armed members of the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team. About 16 to ambulances are waiting on standby.
A police officer at the headquarters of San Juan police station CNN told that officers are conducting “ongoing negotiations.”
In a Skype call at 3. 460 pm local time (2. 460 am ET), the hostage-taker complained that he had been fired , and demanded that four executives from the shopping mall’s security company resign.
Eyewitnesses said gunshots could be heard from the administration office, according to CNN affiliate CNN Philippines.
According to its website, Greenhills is a shopping, dining and entertainment destination made up of more than 2, stores and situated about minutes away from Ninoy Aquino International Airport.
This is a developing story.
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