MANILA, Jan 30: Three people were killed and 27 injured on Wednesday in a bomb blast in the southern Philippines city of General Santos, police said.

They said the bomb exploded outside the main gates of a tuna canning factory just after 7:00 pm (1100 GMT) as workers were leaving to go home.

“I can confirm three people were killed and 27 injured,” city police chief Roberto Go told local reporters.

“The injured have been rushed to hospitals in the area,” he said, adding the bomb was home-made.

Known as the tuna capital of the Philippines, General Santos, on the southern island of Mindanao, is home to some of the biggest tuna canning factories in Southeast Asia.

Police said they had not established a motive for the bombing.—AFP