At least two civilians have been killed in the firefight between the Maute Group and government forces in Marawi City, said Saripada Pacasum, head of the Lanao del Sur Provincial Disaster Office.

Pacasum said the civilians were drivers of their ambulances. They were stopped then killed by Maute members while trying to respond to an emergency call.

He said there are other reports of casualties and injuries but they have yet to verify these owing to the difficulty of moving around the city.

Pacasum added that they have yet to determine how many are affected among the estimated 200,000 residents of the city.

He said the provincial capitol is safe as well as the city hall of Marawi.

Forty-two teachers who were trapped inside a convention hall after they were unable to go out due to the firefight have been rescued.

As of writing, sporadic gunfire was still being heard around the city, according to Pacasum.

Pacasum said Maute overtook Amai Pakpak Hospital but control was eventually regained by government forces late morning of Wednesday.

Additional forces from the Armed Forces of the Philippines arrived at Laguindingan Airport in Misamis Oriental early afternoon.

Hundreds of soldiers with war equipment disembarked from two C130 planes. Two Huey helicopters were also seen hovering around the area for a continuous reconnaissance mission.