Blast at bar in Nigeria kills 7, injures 19

KANO, Nigeria

At least seven people are dead and 19 seriously injured after an explosive device went off at a bar in Nigeria’s northeastern Taraba state.

An eyewitness, Fanen James, said Wednesday that they counted seven bodies before they were transported to a hospital.

The police said earlier that three people were dead and 19 others injured

The incident occurred in the village of Iware in the Ardo-Kola Local Government Area.

Police spokesman Usman Abdullahi confirmed the incident to Anadolu Agency, saying the command received a report from the divisional police officer in the nearby town of Sunkani.

Abdullahi, a deputy superintendent of police, said the bomb blast occurred at midnight Tuesday.

He said the injured were taken to Federal Medical Center in the state capital, Jalingo, where they were receiving treatment.

He added that no arrests have been made so far, but an investigation has begun.

Another eyewitness, James Bulus, said someone threw an object into the bar and immediately fled the scene.

Taraba is one of the troubled states in Nigeria where communal and ethnic groups have clashed in recent times.