Davao City blast caused by cellphone-triggered IED

Davao City (CNN Philippines) – Police said Sunday that an improvised explosive device (IED) detonated by a cellphone caused the blast in a crowded market that killed 14 people and injured at least 68 on Friday night.

Read: At least 14 killed as blast rocks night market in Davao City

In a press conference, Senior Supt. Michael John Dubria said the initial investigation found that the IED was carried inside a bag by someone who went for a massage.

"We believe that the IED exploded pag-alis ng tao [when the person left]," he said. "It was a very short span of time."

Dubria said they are still tracing the source of the cellphone signal. PNP Chief Ronald Dela Rosa said on Saturday that they have three persons of interest related to the incident: one man and two women.

Meanwhile, SPO2 Consorcio Gerones Jr. from the Davao City police's bomb squad said the device was made using a 60mm mortar round. Dubria added what makes it deadly is that the body of the mortar round itself fragments in an explosion and becomes shrapnel.

Dubria said some of the IED's fragments have been recovered and sent to the crime laboratory for analysis. He said one of the fragments was recovered from the liver of one of the survivors.