Blast near previous bombing site in Nigeria

Started by CNN, May 02, 2014, 05:31 AM

CNN

 (CNN) -- At least nine people were killed Thursday night in an explosion in the Nigerian capital city of Abuja, Nigerian authorities said.

Manzo Ezekiel, a spokesman for the National Emergency Management Agency, told CNN that some kind of device exploded just after 8 p.m.

While security agencies cordoned off the area, response agencies said they moved injured victims to hospitals and bodies to the mortuary. Eleven unconscious victims received medical attention in different hospitals.

The bus station was loaded with laborers on their way back home for the May Day holiday.

Nigerian radio called for people to donate blood for those with injuries.

Ezekiel said the blast happened about 100 meters from the scene of an April 14 explosion that killed 71 people.

In that blast, about 130 people were hurt when a parked vehicle exploded in the Nyanya Motor Park bus station crowded with early morning commuters.

Boko Haram's leader claimed responsibility for the April 14 bombing. The Islamist militant group -- whose name means "Western education is sin" in the local Hausa language -- has bombed schools, churches and mosques; kidnapped women and children; and assassinated politicians and religious leaders.

CNN's Hassan John contributed to this report.
Source: CNN.com