Dead bodies lie on the ground near their vehicles at the crime scene of a massacre of a political clan that included several journalists in the outskirts of Ampatuan, Maguindanao in southern Philippines November 24, 2009. The Philippines sacked the provincial police chief and sent hundreds of extra troops to a southern region on Tuesday where gunmen killed at least 24 people in the worst-ever election related violence in the country. On Monday, about 100 gunmen abducted a group of people going to file a nomination for the provincial governor's post in Maguindanao. A group of about 40 people, including women and local journalists, were taken away by gunmen who opened fire on them, investigators said. A local leader said four survivors were in hiding.
