- Title: NIGERIA: At least 21 killed in rush-hour blast in Nigerian capital
- Date: 25th June 2014
- Summary: ABUJA, NIGERIA (JUNE 25, 2014) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF FIRE FIGHTERS TRYING TO PUT OUT FLAMES AT BLAST SITE AMBULANCE WORKERS LIFTING VICTIM INTO VEHICLE VARIOUS OF INJURED, BLOODIED MAN BEING LED AWAY FIRE ENGINE ARRIVING BLAST SITE (SOUNDBITE) (English) ABUJA RESIDENT, SHUAIBU BABA, SAYING: "I've lost a driver. And why? Because I came to photocopy for 10 naira a page. I lost a driver that has three wives and eight children. And this driver is not supposed to bring me here but I forced him, I begged him to take me there and this is the end. And these children, they are going to school, he is the one taking care of his family and the children. How are we going to do with the children?" VARIOUS OF BURNT-OUT VEHICLES AT BLAST SITE VARIOUS OF STRETCHER WITH BLOOD STAINS VARIOUS OF DAMAGED BUILDING WITH WINDOWS BLOWN OUT (SOUNDBITE) (English) POLICE SPOKESMAN, FRANK MBA, SAYING: "You can all see that we have just recorded an unfortunate bomb blast here. For now, we cannot tell you much. We can't tell you the nature or perhaps the kind of explosion that was used, we can't tell you instantly, we can't give you instantly the casualty figure, we can't give you much information now." VARIOUS OF BURNT-OUT VEHICLES AT BLAST SCENE VARIOUS OF SECURITY PERSONNEL AND VEHICLES EMERGENCY AMBULANCE SPEEDING AWAY
- Embargoed: 10th July 2014 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Nigeria
- Country: Nigeria
- Topics: Crime / Law Enforcement
- Reuters ID: LVAECAWNXPHQCWBH5ZRTNWJX4JZ7
- Story Text: At least 21 people were killed and 17 injured when an explosion tore through a crowded shopping district in the Nigerian capital Abuja during rush hour on Wednesday (June 25), a police spokesman said.
It was not immediately clear what caused the blast. Two witnesses at the scene said it shattered the glass of nearby stores and sent plumes of smoke billowing into the air.
The explosion rocked an area near the popular Banex Plaza shopping centre in the upscale Wuse 2 district, they said.
The blast came as the area was packed with shoppers and rush-hour commuters, an emergency services source said.
"I've lost a driver. And why? Because I came to photocopy for 10 naira a page. I lost a driver that has three wives and eight children. And this driver is not supposed to bring me here but I forced him, I begged him to take me there and this is the end. And these children, they are going to school, he is the one taking care of his family and the children. How are we going to do with the children?" said Abuja resident, Shuaibu Baba.
Soon after the blast, emergency services were on the scene and the police and army had blocked off the surrounding area, a Reuters reporter on the scene said. A haze of smoke lingered over the area as the bomb squad combed the area for explosives.
At the scene, police spokesman Frank Mba told reporters it was too early to say what had caused the blast.
"You can all see that we have just recorded an unfortunate bomb blast here. For now, we cannot tell you much. We can't tell you the nature or perhaps the kind of explosion that was used, we can't tell you instantly, we can't give you instantly the casualty figure, we can't give you much information now," he said.
Separately, a roadside bomb blew up in the northeastern Adamawa state, although no one was injured in that explosion, local police spokesman Othman Abubakar said Nigeria has been hit by almost daily bomb and gun attacks, which are widely suspected to be the work of Islamist militant group Boko Haram.
The insurgents, who are trying to carve out an Islamist state in the north, have been increasingly moving beyond their traditional base in rural northeast Nigeria.
Abuja has been a target for bomb attacks in recent months. A suspected car bomb in May killed at least 15 and an attack on a bus station a month earlier killed at least 75. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2014. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
