Bomb Blast at Kano Kills 60

Kano State has been thrown into pandemonium as a bomb just went off at New Road, Sabon Gari area of the city.

A witness told PREMIUM TIMES that the bomb exploded at the hub of a commercial Luxury Bus park usually filled with commuters going from Kano to the South.

Another witness said an Improvised Explosive Device, IED, was planted near the park causing one of the buses to go up in flames.

A recent report showed that four dead bodies have been brought in to the accident and emergency ward of Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital and many men, women and children wounded.

Recent report claims that over 60 passengers were killed while dozens got injured following the explosion.
Several other casualties have also been evacuated to other hospitals across the town for emergency treatment.

The blast affected both passengers in the bus that was about to exit the park and many others within the vicinity of the park.
The blast caused a stampede with many people getting hurt and cars crashing.

Details are still sketchy with some sources saying the explosion emanated from a car parked beside the bus while others claim it was from within the bus.

When contacted, the spokesperson of the Police in Kano, Magaji Majiya, confirmed the incident. He however, said he has not gotten the full details.

The area has now been cordoned off by soldiers and police officers.
At the moment, no one can confirm the status of casualties in this attack as effort to contact the police or JTF was not successful as at the time of compiling this report, however residents say the area was combed by JTF.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but Boko Haram, which has frequently attacked the city, was a prime suspect. A spokesman for security forces in Kano state, Ikedehia Iwehia, said dead and wounded were being evacuated.

The sect often targets Christians.
"I ran for my dear life and managed to get out of the park after the second blast. Many people are lying dead. See, my clothes are covered in blood," said witness Ibrahim Bello, holding up a blood-soaked shirt.
A reporter who was at the scene counted 25 bodies. However, Channels TV reports that 60 people were killed and dozens were injured.

A member of Igbo traditional council in Kano, Tobias Idika, who confirmed the explosion to Channels TV said there were over 200 people in the bus.
"IED was kept inside the luxurious bus which was about to leave Kano to Lagos, people were frying like chicken here and you know there are over two hundred people in this bus when the two IEDs exploded," he was quoted as saying.

The area has now been cordoned off by Military and Policemen. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack yet.