49 people killed in twin blast, dozens injured

Following the twin explosion which rocked Gombe Central market on Thursday July 16, eve of the Eid festival, rescued workers have said 49 people died in the incident.

According to a local trader, Badamasi Amin, the first explosion occurred outside crowded footwear shot while the second one took place minutes later at the central market, where people were doing last-minute shopping to mark the end of Ramadan.

“I was about 70 metres from the scene” when the first blast struck, he told AFP.

“I and many other people rushed to assist the victims. While we were trying to attend to the wounded, another blast happened outside a china shop just opposite the footwear shop.

“Several people were killed and many more were injured,” he added

Another trader, Ali Nasiru, said he saw “people lying lifeless on the ground”.

“Traders and shoppers helped in evacuating the victims to the hospital,” he said. “I can’t say how many people were affected but there are many.”

States like Gombe, Borno, Yobo and Adamawa have been most affected by the Boko Haram insurgency that has killed more than 15,000 people in Nigeria since 2009.

However, there was no immediate claim of responsiblity for the Thursday blasts.