Emergency officials in the Nigerian city of Kaduna reported early on Wednesday that at least 8 people died and many were injured in a huge blast that sent everyone scampering for safety.
Kaduna has recently witnessed similar outbreaks of violence in recent times, the last being the deadly riots following the April elections.
The actual cause of the explosion is yet to be determined, although local police said the explosion appeared accidental. But speculation is rife that it might be a bomb blast, given the strength of the blast. Witnesses report widespread damage around the location of the blast.
Police spokesman Aminu Lawan had earlier in the day said initial information indicated that the blast was accidental.
“Initially, we thought it was a bomb blast, but our preliminary assessment has shown that it was an accidental explosion from a repair shop dealing in car batteries and gas cylinders,” Lawan had said.
“The explosion has led to some deaths and injuries.”
Other emergency officials in Kaduna said the area was littered with mangled body parts that were being collected by rescue workers, making it difficult to come up with a precise death toll.
Kaduna, located in the mainly Muslim north, has been on edge since being hit by some of the worst rioting following April elections won by President Goodluck Jonathan, a Christian from the south.
Residents reported that the blast occurred in an area of the city mainly populated by Christian Igbos.
“There was an explosion from a gas cylinder in one of the spare parts shops in the area and rumours went round the city that there was a bomb attack in the area,” Abdullahi Ibrahim, an iron vender, said by phone.
“Because the area is largely populated by Christian Igbo traders dealing in spare parts and refrigerators, people thought the explosion was targeted at them. There was panic in some parts of the city …”
Another resident gave a similar account.
Three days of riots across the north immediately following April’s presidential elections killed more than 800 people, according to rights groups.
Nigeria’s north has also been hit in recent months by scores of bomb blasts and shootings blamed on the Islamist sect known as Boko Haram.