Philippines: One dead after riots follow fire in shanty town

A fire in a slum provoked riots that left one person dead today after residents vented their anger at the slow response of the emergency services to the blaze.

Around 1,500 homes in San Juan city, east of Manila, were destroyed by the fire, which residents attempted to put out using hoses and buckets of water.

People who live in the shanty town threw rocks at firefighters, injuring two, and beat a man accused of starting the blaze to death.

"Our fire engines had difficulty entering the narrow streets that were blocked by parked cars and carts," the fire chief, Santiago Laguna, said. "They had to drag the hoses into the alleys, where they were attacked."