A bomb exploded in a Catholic church on the outskirts of the Nigerian capital Abuja during Christmas prayers on Sunday and emergency services said they did not have enough ambulances available to evacuate all the dead and the wounded.
Witnesses said the church was packed and that there were many dead from the blast, although officials have not been able to confirm casualty figures and the area was cordoned off.
“We were in the church with my family when we heard the explosion. I just ran out. Now I don’t even know where my children or my wife are,” said Timothy Onyekwere. “I don’t know how many were killed but there were many dead.”
It was not known who exploded the bomb but Nigerian security forces are battling the militant Islamist Boko Haram group, which wants to impose Islamic sharia law across the country split roughly equally between Christians and Muslims.
“We are presently there, evacuating the dead and the injured, but unfortunately we don’t have enough ambulances, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) spokesman Yushau Shuaibu said by telephone.
“Most of our ambulances have gone to operate on the major highways of the country,” he added.