Manila, December 06, SPA --Sixteen people died aftersuspected robbers engaged police in a shootout outside theheadquarters of a transport firm in a Manila suburb, reuters quoted the policesources as saying on Saturday. Highway police and special operatives acting on aninformant's tip were deployed to the transport firm's officebut were spotted by the robbers and met by a volley of gunfire,according to police chief inspector Glenn Tigson's officialreport. Eight robbers inside a sports utility vehicle died on thespot after the policemen returned fire. A second vehicle withtwo thieves on board sped away during the crossfire but waschased by the police. The two robbers later abandoned their vehicle and grabbed amotorcycle from a passing motorist but were intercepted bypolice who shot and killed the suspects on the spot. A father and his 7-year-old daughter on board a passingsports utility vehicle were also hit in the crossfire and laterdied. Two other people manning a truck near the office of thetransport firm also died from gunshot wounds. The police report said one member of the police's elitespecial action force and the transport firm's security guardalso died after being hit in the crossfire. Police recovered four M16 rifles, two .45 calibre guns,handheld radios, ammunition and a police jacket in the robbers'vehicle. Leopoldo Bataoil, police chief inspector, told reporters hehas ordered an inquiry into the shootout after receivingcomplaints from witnesses and relatives of the victims that thepassing motorists were hit by police. --SPA www.spa.gov.sa/614275