Nigeria: Blasts in Jos leave 162 dead, suspects on Boko Haram
Car bombs exploded one after the other in a busy market area and adjoining bus terminal in the city of Jos in central Nigeria killing 162 people and wounding 45 on Tuesday afternoon. Although no group claimed responsibility for the attacks immediately, the Islamic fundamentalist organisation Boko Haram is known to have carried out similar attacks in the country since its insurrection five years ago.
Mohammed Abdulsalam, coordinator of the National Emergency Management Emergency (NEMA) in Nigeria’s north central region, said Wednesday the casualty figures were collated after visits to Plateau Specialist Hospital and Bingham Hospital in Jos.
After the first blast, rescue workers rushed to the scene to gather the injured. However, the second blast which occurred a half hour later claimed the lives of some of the rescue workers, alongwith manny onlookers present at the scene. The incident occurred in a prominent business area in the city which also houses many shops, offices and a market.