At least 10 people were confirmed dead Sunday (Feb. 15) after a teenage girl detonated a device in an apparent suicide bombing in northeast Nigeria. The blast occurred at a busy bus station, and Boko Haram could be connected as it has used similar attacks in the past.
The bombing took place in the city Damaturu, the capital of Yobe state, and the bomb went off around 1 PM local time. Along with the dead, around 30 others were wounded in varying degree. Most of those killed and struck by the bomb were children, most of whom were peanut sellers or at the station begging for money said witnesses.
More from the Associated Press by way of The Guardian:
The bomber managed to get through the security check at the entrance to the bus station in Damaturu, the capital of Yobe state, and detonated herself at 1pm local time.
“It was an eyesore looking at the scene which is littered with chopped flesh and battered bodies of victims,” said witness Hassan Umar, who added the bomber was a teenager and that he had seen her remains.
“The girl that carried out the suicide should be around 16 years old, because her face was a bit matured,” he said.
At least eight of the bodies were taken to the mortuary at Damaturu specialist hospital, a hospital worker told the Associated Press by telephone. The worker insisted on anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the press.
The AP noted that the pattern of the bombing fits the Boko Haram blueprint, although the violent Islamist extremists have yet to come forward claiming responsibility.
The bombing in Damaturu was the first such attack, although Boko Haram attempted to take the city in December of last year in a failed bid.
Initial reports stated that 16 were dead, and those numbers have been conflicting since the story has developed.
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Photo: Himalayan Explorer based on work by Uwe Dedering/CC By-SA 3.0
