7 mental patients take fellow inmates hostage

Tension gripped the National Center for Mental Health (NCMH) in Mandaluyong City Thursday night after seven patients there took hostage 28 of their fellow inmates. Radio dzBB reported that the incident occurred at Pavilion 14 after some of the inmates had a scuffle. The seven "masterminds" used sharpened toothbrushes to poke at the other inmates. Some of them also used pieces of broken fluorescent tubes, the report added. Police, however, managed to calm the inmates and sent the seven masterminds to a maximum security facility. A separate report on dzXL radio said the masterminds were aged 11 to 18. — LBG/RSJ, GMANews.TV