Blast in Nigerian capital kills 71

ABUJA: Police say an explosion that ripped through a busy bus station in Nigeria’s capital has killed at least 71 people and wounded 124.

Police spokesman Frank Mba says Monday’s blast destroyed 16 luxury coaches and 24 minibuses.

There was only believed to be one blast with secondary explosions as vehicle fuel tanks ignited and burned.

Reporters saw rescue workers and police gathering body parts as ambulances rushed the wounded to the hospitals.

There was no immediate claim for the rush-hour blast, though the Boko Haram terrorist network has been threatening to attack the capital.

The extremists, based in northeast Nigeria, carried out a 2011 suicide car bombing at the United Nations office building in Abuja that killed at least 21 people and wounded 60.