Nigeria Market Blast Leaves 32 Dead, 80 Injured

Local Editor

Around 32 people were killed and 80 others wounded after an explosive device went off at a market in the city of Yola, northeast Nigeria. The blast was reported on Tuesday at around 8 pm local time.

Although it is still unclear who is responsible for the blast, the armed group Boko Haram has carried out attacks on Yola in the past, including suicide bomber attacks and other bombings.

A Red Cross official said that: "The explosion happened in the midst of a large crowd because the area houses a livestock market, an outdoor restaurant and a mosque."

Relatively, an eyewitness described the aftermath of the scene: "The ground near my shop was covered with dead bodies. I helped to load 32 dead bodies into five vehicles."

Another local further added that there were up to eight ambulances on the scene to carry the victims to the hospitals.

Boko Haram, have pledged allegiance to "ISIS" and killed thousands of people in the northeastern part of the country during the last six years.

It was in late October that Boko Haram militants attacked northeastern Nigeria last time, when separate explosions in Yola and Maiduguri killed at least 37 people.

The group militants have been targeting public places, mainly places of worship, local markets, and bus stations.

In the past, the terrorist group has claimed responsibility for attacks in neighboring Chad, Niger and Cameroon.

The extremist Boko Haram organization began its insurgency in 2009, and since then has killed at least 17,000 people and left another 2.5 million homeless.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team