Deadly bomb blast rocks U.N. building in Abuja – Seven confirmed dead

Posted by admin Africa & World Politics, Boko Haram, National Politics, Top Stories Friday, August 26th, 2011

UN Building in Abuja

(CNN) — At least seven people have been killed and many more injured in a bombing Friday at the U.N. building in the center of the Nigerian capital, Abuja, witnesses say.

Journalist Alkasim Abdulkadir, in Abuja, told CNN he had seen seven bodies brought into the National Hospital by Red Cross officials. He had also seen many people with injuries, he said.

A representative for the National Hospital in Abuja said it was treating “many casualties, lots of them seriously injured” from U.N. building.

The hospital has called in all doctors and nurses who were not working on Friday to deal with the emergency, the spokesman said, as ambulances kept bringing people in.

Bomb squad officers and other security teams were sent to the scene, deputy police spokesman Yemi Ajayi said.

Alessandra Vellucci at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland confirmed that the “U.N. premises in Abuja have been bombed” but was unable to give more details.

Eyewitnesses in the U.N. building told CNN there was an explosion, then an internal wall fell on some people, causing several casualties. Many of those injured have been taken to hospital, the witnesses said.

Earlier, journalist Abdulkadir said he could see Red Cross officials trying to pull people from the debris.

He said it appeared that a car bomb had gone off at the front of the building, causing a wall to cave in.

He said the area was not very busy because it was a diplomatic district, with the Liberian and U.S.embassies nearby, but that there were people working there.

Zoran Jovanovic, head of mission for the International Red Cross in Abuja, said an explosion was heard at 10:15 a.m. local time.

It is not yet clear who was responsible for the bombing.

Other recent attacks in the city have been blamed on militant Islamists, including a car bomb that was detonated at the Nigerian police headquarters, killing several people including the bomber.

-CNNwp_posts