YOLA: At least 32 people were killed and 80 wounded after an explosive device went off at a market in the northeastern Nigerian city of Yola, humanitarian agencies said.
“Thirty-two people were killed and 80 have been injured,” Red Cross official said. Another official from the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Alhaji Sa’ad Bello, later confirmed the same numbers of casualties.
It is still unclear who is responsible for the blast, but the armed group Boko Haram has carried out attacks on Yola in the past, including suicide bomber attacks and other bombings. The blast was reported at around 8 pm local time.
“The explosion happened in the midst of a large crowd because the area houses a livestock market, an open-air eatery and a mosque,” Red Cross official Aliyu Maikano said “Our main preoccupation now is to save the injured.”
One witness described the horrific aftermath of the scene: “The ground near my shop was covered with dead bodies. I helped to load 32 dead bodies into five vehicles,” witness Alhaji Ahmed told newsmen.
