22 May 2014

Double bombing in Nigerian city

6:36 am on 22 May 2014

At least 118 people have been killed and many others wounded by two bombs in the central Nigerian city of Jos.

The blasts on Tuesday happened in a busy market at about 3pm near a bus terminal.

Part of the bomb scene at the bus terminal in Jos.

Part of the bomb scene at the bus terminal in Jos. Photo: AFP

The regional governor's office told AFP news agency that most of the casualties were women.

A BBC correspondent said the bombs were in a lorry and a minibus and exploded about 15 minutes apart.

Although the Boko Haram group has previously targeted Jos, the capital of Plateau state, the city has been relatively calm for almost two years.

A church and two other places were bombed there on Christmas Day 2011.

Earlier this month a car bomb in the capital Abuja killed at least 19 people and injured 60 more.

The explosion happened close to a bus station where at least 70 people died in a bomb blast on 14 April.

On Tuesday, parliament approved a six-month extension of a state of emergency in three north-eastern states - Adamawa, Borno and Yobe.

More than 1000 people have been killed by Boko Haram this year. The group also kidnapped more than 200 schoolgirls in Chibok at night on 14 April. Their whereabouts are unknown.