Twin explosions rock northeast Nigeria market, killing about 50
Twin explosions have hit a market in Nigeria’s northeastern city of Gombe, leaving about 50 people dead, witnesses say.
At least 49 people have been killed and dozens injured in twin blasts, according to rescue workers.
The toll could climb further as some of the wounded "are in a critical condition", a top rescue official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP, adding, "The victims include many women and children."
Badamasi Amin, a local trader, told AFP that the first blast occurred outside a footwear shop in Gombe around 5:20 p.m. local time (1620 GMT) on Thursday, followed by a second explosion just minutes later.
"I was about 70 meters (yards) from the scene" when the first blast occurred, Amin said, adding, "I and many other people rushed to assist the victims. While we were trying to attend to the wounded, another blast happened outside a china shop just opposite the footwear shop."
Ali Nasiru, another local trader, also said that he saw "people lying lifeless on the ground.”
No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks but they bear the hallmark of Boko Haram Takfiri militants.
Earlier this week, Boko Haram militants killed at least 43 people during a series of violent attacks on four villages in Nigeria's northeastern Borno state.
Boko Haram, whose name means “Western education is forbidden,” has claimed responsibility for a number of deadly shooting attacks and bombings in Nigeria since the beginning of their militancy in 2009, which has so far claimed the lives of more than 13,000 people.
Back in February, four nations of the Lake Chad Basin - Chad, Cameroon, Niger and Nigeria - launched a campaign, together with a contingent from Benin, to confront the threat from Boko Haram militants in the region.
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