Sixteen killed in southern Philippines

A gang of armed men has shot and killed sixteen people and wounded ten others in a highway ambush in the southern Philippines.

The victims, who included students and at least one child, were travelling in three separate vehicles in the province of Cotabato, when they were stopped by the gunmen.

The gang robbed the passengers before shooting them.

Police said they were in pursuit of the armed men; it's not clear whether they are guerrillas or bandits.

In recent weeks, Muslim separatist rebels have been blamed for a series of attacks against civilian targets in the southern Philippines.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service