Philippines politician says residents see 100 bodies in besieged city

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Marawai City: Philippines politician said on Thursday residents fleeing besieged Marawi City had seen at least 100 bodies in an area where intense fighting has taken place between security forces and Islamist militants in the last three weeks.

Zia Alonto Adiong, who is helping in rescue and relief efforts, said he had earlier mistakenly said 500 to 1,000 dead bodies were seen by residents.

"I`m sorry, I`m talking about the estimated number of trapped residents," he told reporters.

"Dead bodies, at least 100, scattered around the encounter area."

The military has said 290 people have died in more than three weeks of fighting, including 206 militants, 58 soldiers and 26 civilians.