Twin car bomb attacks kill 51 people in Nigeria

At least 51 people have died in twin car bomb blasts at a marketplace in Maiduguri, the north eastern Nigerian city that is the birthplace of the country’s main terrorist group.

A Nigerian Red Cross official said more people are believed to be buried in rubble from the explosions.

He said among the dead are children who were at a wedding celebration and others watching a soccer match on an outdoor TV screen.

Survivors said they captured and beat up one suspect. A security guard said the man died in the hospital. Vigilante leader Hassan Ali said his group collected 50 bodies.

The blasts are a major setback to a new military offensive against the Islamic uprising.

PA