Philippines explosion: 10 dead, 60 injured in Davao City market blast

At least 10 people have been killed and 60 injured in an explosion at a night market in Davao City in the Philippines, a senior official told CNN Philippines.

Ernesto Abella, spokesman for Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte, announced the death toll late Friday night.

Live pictures from the scene show police sorting through debris.

The cause of the explosion is not known.

Witness Father Jboy Gonzales told CNN Philippines that he saw more than 30 casualties being loaded onto ambulances.

“[A] lot of people are wounded, shocked, traumatized,” he said.

Janoz Laquihon was also at the scene.

“I saw some smoke. I thought it’s just barbecue. A few minutes later…a big blast,” he told CNN Philippines.

Leonor Rala, a student at San Pedro College, told CNN that she was in her dorm on Friday night, and “then we heard an explosion.”

She initially thought something had fallen on the roof of a neighboring building. She went down to survey the scene of the blast, where emergency teams were already in place.

Davao City, on the southern Philippine island of Mindanao, is the hometown of President Duterte. Duterte, who took office at the end of June, made his name in politics as the mayor of Davao City, taking a hardline stance on drug crime that he has now incorporated into his national policies.

Developing story – more to come

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