The explosion that hit the busy EMAB shopping mall in Abuja, Nigeria, killed at least 21 people and injured 17 others. Police spokesman Frank Mba confirmed the number of casualties but said he could not provide details of the nature or extent of the damage.
"After a preliminary investigation we can confirm that 21 people were killed and 17 injured. Our most important assignment now is to secure lives, secure the crime scene and actually carry out preliminary investigations."
It is not yet clear what or who was behind the explosion, but it is well known that Islamist militant group Boko Haram has been bombing targets across northern Nigeria in recent days. Eye witnesses at the scene described seeing body parts scattered across the area, and are still shocked at the incident. Some spoke to the BBC.
Chiamaka Oham, who was near the site of the blast, told the BBC: "We heard a really loud noise and the building shook, and people started screaming and running out.
"We saw the smoke and people covered in blood. It was just chaos."
One man told the BBC his driver was killed in the blast:
"I was in the complex when I saw that the ground was shaking. I saw my driver dead and a lot of casualties."
The BBC's Hausa service editor Mansur Liman reports that the area was packed with shoppers at the time of the blast, while many cars outside the shopping complex were burnt out and many windows were shattered.
May the souls of those dead rest in peace.
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