Two Swiss nationals shot dead in Philippines, police say

Two Swiss nationals have been shot dead in a southern Philippine resort town, police said today.

The victims, 67-year-old Robert Erich Loever and 78-year-old Baltazar Johann Erni, had just stepped out from a beach resort at 1 pm (1030 IST) yesterday in Opol town, Misamis Oriental province, when unidentified gunmen shot them in the head, municipal police chief Senior Inspector Alwin Baclao said.

The assailants fled on foot, Baclao said, according to the victims' two female companions who witnessed the attack.

Police ruled out robbery as motive after the suspects ran away without taking the victims' belongings, Baclao said, adding an investigation was underway.
 

Criminal gangs are known to operate in the southern Philippines, prompting China last month to warn its citizens against travel to the area.