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St. Theresa's Catholic church
in Madala, Niger State
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At least 25 people have been killed after
an unknown person set off an explosive device outside a church in the Nigerian
capital during Christmas Day celebrations, according to a relief worker.
Witnesses have also reported a second
attack and loud explosions in the central town of Jos according to Reuters
sources.
Al Jazeera's Ahmed Idris, a producer
reporting from near the scene of the attack, says the attacker used an
"improvised explosion" device after failing to gain access to the
church.
A relief worker told Idris at least 25 bodies
were recovered and of those six have been mutilated and the 19 others were
still intact.
"I am standing near a huge crater left
in the road. The damage to structures and buildings can be seen from 150m away.
The church and surrounding shops and homes were also damaged.
"At least eight cars and two
motorcycles were burnt beyond recognition."
The explosion at St Theresa Church on
Christmas morning was confirmed by Yushau Shuaib, a spokesman for the
National Emergency Management Agency of the blast in the Madalla area.
People were inside the church at the time
of the blast, but Shuaib could not say initially determine how many.
Speaking to Al Jazeera, Felix Onuah, a
Nigerian journalist said emergency workers were trying to evacuate the scared
and the injured from the area where a Christmas day procession and service were
being held.
The emergency agency reported
that it is not have enough ambulances available to evacuate the dead and the
wounded, according to Reuters.
There was no immediate claim of
responsibility, though Nigeria has been hit by scores of bomb blasts and
shootings attributed to the rebel group Boko Haram.
VIDEO:
{images: Saharareporters, Story: AljazeeraTV}
