A Canadian and his two daughters are confirmed to be among the dead in Monday's hijacking of a tour bus in Manila, Philippines, while a fourth member of the family remains in hospital with serious head injuries.
CTV News has identified the killed Canadian as Ken Leung, 58. The two daughters are Jessie Leung, 14, and Doris Leung, 21.
Leung's wife, Amy Ng, was unhurt but their son, Jason Leung, 18, remained hospitalized. There were conflicting reports on whether he was hit by gunfire, or by a hammer when police stormed the bus by breaking windows.
"I thought I would fight for survival so I could take care of my children, but two of them have already died," a sobbing Ng said Tuesday.
Leung was a dual-citizen living in Hong Kong. Witnesses said he sacrificed himself to try to save other passengers.
He was killed "trying to protect his family, trying to protect other hostages," Ben O'Hara-Byrne, CTV's Beijing Bureau Chief, reported Tuesday.
Doris and Jason were living in Hong Kong. But they had reportedly attended school in Canada recently.
"Of all people, he doesn't deserve it," said Ninuola Oladunjoye, a friend of Jason's in Mississauga, Ont. "It can't happen to him."
Messages of support for the victims and the family were pouring in from around the world, including from Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
"It is a terrible and a tragic incident and obviously I just want to take the opportunity to express my condolences on my behalf and obviously on behalf of the entire government and the families of those who lost loved ones in this particular tragedy," Harper said in Churchill, Man.
Leung was employed by Stadium Group PLC, a U.K.-based electronics manufacturer. A company spokesperson said he held a Canadian passport.
"Ken's passing is an enormous shock to all of us, and our immediate concerns are for his wife, son and wider family at this most difficult time," chief executive Nigel Rogers said in a statement.
An official at the head office for Hong Thai Travel in Hong Kong, the agency that organized the trip, told CTV News earlier Tuesday morning that five people on the bus were holding Canadian passports, and that three of them were killed in the violence.
Brenda Chow, who went to school with Jessie Leung in Hong Kong two years ago, told CTV.ca that Jason Leung graduated from Bronte College of Canada in Mississauga, Ont. this June. The private boarding school caters to Canadian and international students, according to its website.
It is believed Doris Leung was recently a student at the University of Toronto.
China ‘appalled' by police operation
The tense drama took place after Rolando Mendoza, a 55-year-old dismissed police officer, seized a bus of tourists while armed with an M16 rifle and a pistol. A 12-hour standoff with police ensued, ending Monday night with eight tourists and their Filipino captor dead.
Mendoza had demanded he be reinstated to his job. The climax unfolded on television as police stormed the bus and killed the gunman after he began shooting the tourists.
China said it was "appalled" over the botched negotiations with the gunman and called for a probe into what took place.
Outrage about the deaths made headlines in major Hong Kong newspapers. The city stopped to remember the dead, lowering flags and holding a moment of silence.
Political parties in the semi-autonomous territory led a demonstration to the Philippine Consulate, as protesters chanted "You caused the deaths of Hong Kongers."
Terrorism and security expert Allan Bell said they have good reason to be upset.
"The whole thing was handled badly," Bell told CTV News Channel.
"For some reason they kept it local and just used local police officers" instead of bringing in experts who specialize in dealing with hostage-takings, he said.
Philippine authorities also allowed media to get too close to the standoff, Bell added, which allowed the gunman to see what was going on via TV monitors on the bus.
The Philippine government admitted there were "inadequacies" in how the crisis was handled. Officials in Manila promised a full investigation to determine how the hijacker was able to shoot and kill eight of the 15 hostages on the bus before he was killed by a sniper.
President Benigno Aquino also announced that Wednesday would be a national day of mourning in solidarity with the people of Hong Kong, Aquino's spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said.
According to reports, Mendoza had been among a group of officers charged with crimes ranging from robbery to extortion and making threats.
Mendoza was fired last year but has maintained his innocence.
With a report from CTV's Beijing Bureau Chief Ben O'Hara-Byrne and files from The Canadian Press
