Three Chad explosions blamed on Boko Haram

  • 11/10/2015
(Reuters)
(Reuters)

Three explosions have killed 37 people in a Chadian city on the shores of Lake Chad, in the latest atrocity blamed on the Nigerian jihadist group Boko Haram.

Another 52 people were reportedly wounded in the attacks that struck on Saturday afternoon, one targeting the fish market at Baga Sola and the other two occurring at a refugee camp on the outskirts of the city.

It was the first time Baga Sola was hit by such an attack, and the belief that it was relatively safe had led tens of thousands of Nigerian refugees and Chadians displaced by Boko Haram violence to seek shelter there.

"There are bodies everywhere, a head here, a leg there, everyone is in a state of panic," a resident told AFP on condition of anonymity, adding that "people are now trying to piece together the bodies."

Rescuers have evacuated the wounded to an overwhelmed local hospital, a security source said, adding that 10 people were in "very critical" condition.

A humanitarian source told AFP by phone on condition of anonymity that a teenager blew himself up at the market, while the other two blasts were the work of women wearing the Islamic veil.

There was no official confirmation on Saturday evening of the claim by the humanitarian worker.

AFP