30 killed in Nigeria suicide bombing

KANO, Nigeria: Thirty people were killed late Sunday in a triple suicide bombing in northeast Nigeria, emergency services reported, in an attack bearing the hallmarks of the Boko Haram militants group.

Three bombers detonated their explosives outside a hall in Konduga, 38 kilometres from the Borno state capital Maiduguri, where football fans were watching a match on TV. "The death toll from the attack has so far increased to 30. We have over 40 people injured," Usman Kachalla, head of operations at the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), said on Monday.

An earlier toll from the blasts, the bloodiest in months, gave 17 dead and 17 wounded. The attack happened around 9:00 pm (1800 GMT), said Ali Hassan, the leader of a self-defence group in the town. The owner of hall prevented one of the bombers from entering the packed venue.

"There was a heated argument between the operator and the bomber who blew himself up," Hassan said by phone. Two other bombers who had mingled among the crowd at a tea stall nearby also detonated their suicide vests. Hassan said most of the victims were from outside the football viewing centre.