A photo taken from a mobile phone shows a general view of the site of an explosion at a night market in Davao City, in southern island of Mindanao, late Friday night. Stringer, AFP
MANILA - Two women hurriedly left a bag at a night market in Davao City before a powerful blast that left scores dead and wounded went off, two survivors of the attack said Saturday.
The survivors suspect the bomb was contained in the bag that was left by the two women in the long row of massage stations and food stalls on busy Roxas street.
Masseuse Rhea Rolida's said her sister, who was among the 14 fatalities in the attack, was positioned near the unattended bag.
"The bombers were two women dressed in ordinary clothes and blended with the public. They were acting strangely because they were in a hurry," Rolida, who suffered bruises on her ear, told DZMM.
"The bomb that was placed inside a bag was left beside a stack of chairs near the massage area," she said.
Massage therapists were too busy working to mind "suspicious" looking women, she said.
Ronald Delfinco, who was standing three meters away from the explosion, told ABS-CBN News that he noticed two women running away from the area around 10 p.m.
Delfinco said the blast could not have been caused by cooking gas as claimed by initial reports since there were no cooking gas tanks in the strip's massage area.
READ: What caused Davao City blast?
The extremist group Abu Sayyaf has claimed responsibility for the bombing and warned of similar attacks in the coming days.
READ: Abu Sayyaf owns up to Davao blast, warns of more attacks