Abuja: A bomb ripped through the UN building in the Nigerian capital Abuja on Friday, killing at least 20 people, leaving others trapped and causing heavy damage, officials said.
Some witnesses reported that the bomb exploded after a suicide bomber rammed a car through the front gate. Parts of the first two floors of the building were blown out and rescue workers scrambled to rescue those left inside.
Islamist sect known Boko Haram claimed the responsibility of the explosion.
One UN staff member said people were still trapped in the building that sustained heavy damage.
“I don’t know what is going on. Many people are still trapped upstairs and we need a crane to bring people down,” said the UN staffer who did not want to give her name. Two cranes were later brought to the scene and rescue workers were trying to free those trapped on the upper floors.
Police said there was an explosion and UN officials said it was caused by a bomb.
“We spoke to our colleagues in Lagos, who confirmed that the explosion was caused by a bomb. But we have no further information for now,” a UN spokeswoman in Geneva told AFP.
A spokeswoman for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs meanwhile told AFP that a colleague on site had sent an SMS message to say that the explosion “appears to have come from the gate entrance to the building.”
A bomb blast that rocked national police headquarters in Abuja in June was also claimed by Boko Haram.
There have been growing concerns that the sect has formed links with extremist groups outside of Nigeria, including al Qaeda’s North African branch.
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