MANILA -- (UPDATED) Two men were killed in a four-hour hostage-taking incident at SM Dasmariñas in Cavite province on Sunday.

The 32-year-old suspect, Carlo Marcus Lacdao, was among the fatalities, former Cavite Governor Jonvic Remulla told ABS-CBN News Channel.

Remulla confirmed that a marital problem caused the incident.

The suspect, he said, arrived at the mall at around 11 a.m., looking for his children and wife, Erna, a bathroom attendant there.

Erna was not among the 11 people that Lacdao took hostage at a comfort room on the mall's ground floor.

Of the 11 hostages, eight people escaped, while three were left with the suspect.

"In the first two hours, he (Lacdao) was asking for his wife and the supposed lover of his wife... I don't think he was in the proper state of mind. He was cursing and shouting the entire time," Remulla said.

At around 2 p.m., Lacdao stabbed two hostages. One man later died due to a wound near his heart, while another remained in critical condition as of posting time.

Remulla said the suspect "got very agitated" after seeing his children at around 2:50 p.m. and held a knife to the back of his remaining hostage, Mylene Balajadia, prompting policemen to shoot him.

Balajadia escaped "shaken" but uninjured, while Lacdao sustained gunshot wounds on the neck and head.

The hostage-taking crisis prompted the mall management to close stores and instruct people to go to safer areas.

In a statement, SM Supermalls said their security team and the local police worked together to manage the situation.