No fewer than ten people have died on Tuesday when a blast ripped through a bus in Potiskum, northeast Nigeria, according to witnesses, in the latest explosion to hit the troubled region.
Exact casualty figure cannot be ascertained as at the time of this report. A local TV, Channels TV said witnesses confirmed that up to 15 bodies of victims have been deposited at a local hospital. About 57 people seriously injured as reports say the number of casualties could rise.
The explosion happened at the Tashar Dan-Borno motor park, on the outskirts of the city but rescuers could not immediately determine the number of casualties.
"The bus had just loaded with passengers on its way to Kano when a huge explosion happened inside the bus at exactly 11:40 am (1000 GMT)," said a driver's union official at the bus station.
"We still don't know how many people were affected. We are waiting for the fire to be put out before we can have a figure of casualty", he added.
Potiskum, the commercial capital of Yobe state, has been hit repeatedly by bombings, including on Sunday, when a young girl with explosives strapped to her body blew up at a crowded market. At least six people reportedly pronounced dead on the spot.
The girl was thought to be as young as seven, according to multiple witnesses.
Boko Haram insurgents have increasingly used young girls and women as human bombs, with so-called "soft targets" such as markets and bus stations a regular target.
Witnesses told AFP reporters that seven people were killed in the blast, which again underlined the severe security challenges facing Nigeria in the run-up to presidential and parliamentary elections on March 28.
© AFP Picture: ( Image discreet ) Shows Volunteers load an injured man into an ambulance after a suicide blast in the northeastern Nigerian city of Potiskum on February 1, 2015
No comments:
Post a Comment