Troops Storm Filipino Prison; 21 Killed

DAVAO CITY, Philippines â€”  Troops today stormed a prison and killed 16 convicts who had taken 15 members of a religious group hostage in an escape attempt and sexually molested and murdered five of them, including a teen-ager.

The bloody assault ended a three-day standoff at the Metropolitan District Command Detention Center and came five hours after the convicts tried to flee by using hostages as shields.

During the attempted break, five hostages escaped but a 16-year-old female captive died, along with one convict, officials said. The remaining 15 inmates then retreated to the jail compound.

Told of Killings

Brig. Gen. Mariano Baccay, the regional military commander, said officials decided to storm the jail after the escaped hostages told them some captives had been slain.

In all, five hostages died. Baccay said none died in the police assault.

The hostages were seized Sunday during religious services at the downtown jail in Davao City, 610 miles southeast of Manila.

One of those slain was missionary Jacqueline Hamill, 36, of Sydney, Australia, who had been working in Davao City since last month. Cecilia So, a nurse at Davao Doctors’ Hospital, said Hamill was pronounced dead on arrival after the assault.

All the hostages were members of the Joyful Assemblies of God, a Protestant group that conducted a prison ministry. The inmates, including murderers, had asked for a getaway vehicle and had given authorities a 4 p.m. deadline to meet their demand.

Army Maj. Antonio Inciong said Hamill and other female captives were sexually molested by their captors.