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Africa Subsaharan
Suicide bomber hits Catholic church in Jos
2012-03-11
Reports of an early morning explosion have again rocked Jos with many feared dead. The explosion occurred at about 10:30 am at St. FinbarÂ’s Catholic Church in Rayfield, an exclusive neighborhood. It is the first major attack in that area of town which is usually heavily guarded by soldiers and the Joint Task Force (JTF).

Early eyewitness accounts say that the nubmer of casualties is extremely high with the blast occurring during Sunday mass. Mayhem ensued as soldiers began to fire indiscriminately at supposed attackers with many onlookers fleeing and ducking for cover.

The scene at St. FinbarÂ’s remains out of control as emergency services are yet to arrive on the scene and sporadic shots are still being reported.
Posted by:ryuge

#1  More from the BBC:

At least three people have been killed in a suspected suicide car bombing at a Catholic church in the restive central Nigerian city of Jos, officials say.

The car was apparently stopped before it could enter the church compound, one report said.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack yet.

A bombing at a Jos church two weeks ago killed three people and injured nearly 40. Islamist militants from Boko Haram said they carried out that attack.

Emergency officials were assisting the victims at St Finbar's church in the Rayfield area, a spokesman for the national emergencies agency said.

Three people were confirmed as dead - in addition to the bomber - and several others were in a critical condition, spokesman Yushau Shuaib told AFP news agency.

"The bomb exploded before he [the bomber] could get to the church," he added.

Other reports put the number of dead at eight to 10 people, including soldiers stationed at the church.

Pam Ayuba, a spokesperson for Plateau state where Jos is located, told Associated Press that the blast damaged the church's roof, blew out its windows and destroyed a portion of the perimeter fence.

Security forces have now cordoned off the area around the church.

Plateau state lies on the fault line between Nigeria's mainly Muslim north and Christian and animist south.

It has witnessed numerous inter-communal clashes in recent years and Islamist group Boko Haram has targeted several churches in Jos, the state capital.
Posted by: trailing wife   2012-03-11 13:36  

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