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Nigeria: Abuja shopping centre hit by blast Nigeria: Abuja blast in shopping plaza kills 12
(35 minutes later)
An explosion has hit a busy shopping centre in Nigeria's capital, Abuja, and there are reports of casualties. An explosion has hit a busy shopping plaza in Nigeria's capital, Abuja, killing at least 12 people.
The explosion hit the capital's Wuse district, reports said. Witnesses said the blast shattered windows and people could be seen fleeing the shops. The explosion was in the capital's Wuse district, near the popular Banex plaza shopping complex, and could be heard from miles away.
It is not yet clear what was behind the explosion. Emergency services are attending the scene. It is not yet clear what was behind the explosion. The military, and emergency services, have been sent to the area.
Islamist militant group Boko Haram has bombed targets across northern Nigeria in recent years.Islamist militant group Boko Haram has bombed targets across northern Nigeria in recent years.
A BBC reporter at one hospital counted at least 12 dead bodies. Many others were injured.
Authorities say they cannot confirm the total number of casualties as they are trying to secure the area.
'Covered in blood'
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."
The area was packed with shoppers at the time of the blast, the BBC's Hausa service editor Mansur Liman reports.
Many cars outside the shopping complex were burnt out and many windows were shattered, he adds.
Manzo Ezekiel, spokesman for the National Emergency Management Agency, told AFP news agency: "You can see smoke billowing from the sky. It's a very crowded place."Manzo Ezekiel, spokesman for the National Emergency Management Agency, told AFP news agency: "You can see smoke billowing from the sky. It's a very crowded place."
One witness told Reuters news agency that people could be seen running out of the shopping centre with blood on their clothes.
"I heard a loud blast, it shattered the windows of the shop," Gimbya Jafaru, who was shopping nearby, said.
Boko Haram has staged previous attacks in Abuja, but most of its targets have been in the north-east of the country.Boko Haram has staged previous attacks in Abuja, but most of its targets have been in the north-east of the country.
In April, more than 70 people were killed in a bomb blast at a bus stop on the outskirts of the capital in an attack claimed by Boko Haram.In April, more than 70 people were killed in a bomb blast at a bus stop on the outskirts of the capital in an attack claimed by Boko Haram.
In May, a car bomb near a bus station in the suburbs killed at least 19 people and injured 60 others.In May, a car bomb near a bus station in the suburbs killed at least 19 people and injured 60 others.
The group has hit Abuja several times before, including an attack on the United Nations national headquarters in 2011.The group has hit Abuja several times before, including an attack on the United Nations national headquarters in 2011.
It has come under the international spotlight after it recently abducted more than 200 girls from a school in northern Nigeria. It has become a source of growing international concern since the recent abduction of more than 200 girls from a school in northern Nigeria.