Two bombings near churches during Christmas Day services in Nigeria, including one outside the country's capital, have killed at least 28 people. The suspected attacks stoked fear and anger in the country, which has been hit by scores of bombings and shootings attributed to Boko Haram.
The scene of the blast outside Abuja, which killed at least 27, degenerated into chaos after the blast, with angry youths starting fires and threatening to attack a nearby police station. Police fired into the air to disperse them and closed a major highway. Emergency officials sought more ambulances as rescuers tried to evacuate the dead and wounded.
A Vatican spokesman condemned that attack as an act of "blind hatred" meant "to arouse and feed even more hatred and confusion."
An explosion later hit outside an evangelical church hundreds of miles away in the central city of Jos, killing a policeman.
Emergency officials initially thought the blast outside Abuja happened in the church, but later said it happened near it, with the impact felt inside the church, also damaged. Holes were visible in the wall of the St. Theresa Catholic Church in Madalla and the roof was badly damaged. What looked like blood was splattered on the outside of the wall.
Father Christopher Barde said that the explosion happened as the Christmas morning service was ending. He said, "As I reached the last entrance, some people met me for blessings and suddenly I heard a bomb blast. It was really terrible."
National Emergency Management Agency spokesman Yushau Shuaib called the incident a "suspected bomb blast" and confirmed 12 dead, but adding that the toll would rise. |