Tuesday was a day of weeping and anguish in Jos, the Plateau State capital, when twin explosions shattered the tranquility in the city that had enjoyed some semblance of peace for a while.

The two explosions resulted in the deaths of at least 118 persons, injured several others and left residents confused and scampering for safety.

Reacting to the blasts, President Goodluck Jonathan, the Speaker of the House of Representatives Aminu Tambuwal and the Plateau State Government condemned the attacks on the city, and described the perpetrators of the tragic assault on human freedom as cruel and evil.

This came as the Kano State Police Command announced yesterday that two men had been arrested in connection with last Sunday's suicide car bombing in Kano.

In Jos, the first bomb went off at about 2:55 pm along Murtala Mohammed Way right in front of the railway terminal, which is opposite the old site of Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH).

The first explosion was followed by a second one about 26 minutes later within the same vicinity, wreaking more havoc particularly on the first set of rescuers who had gone to help victims of the first explosion.

The state Police Commissioner, Chris Olakpe, who spoke to reporters after the blast said: “So far 46 corpses have been deposited in various hospitals in the state, while 45 persons have been hospitalised with varying injuries.”

Olakpe said preliminary investigations revealed that a suicide bomber, who abandoned his car at the terminus market axis later came back to detonate it.
He said: “Thirty minutes later, a Sienna bus also laden with IEDs also exploded killing more persons.”

He cautioned residents against rushing to the scene of the explosions and appealed to them to be alert and security conscious.
However, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said last night that the death toll had risen to 118, warning that it could rise further.

“The exact figure of the dead bodies recovered as of now is 118,” Mohammed Abdulsalam, Coordinator for NEMA in the city, told AFP.

He added that “more bodies may be in the debris” of buildings which collapsed due to the intensity of the blasts.

Fifty-six people were injured in the twin blasts, said Abdulsalam. The military said the IEDs were hidden inside a truck and a minibus and went off within minutes of each other.

The vibration of the blasts, which shook most buildings around the vicinity, left in its trail many collapsed buildings, damaged cars and the charred remains of victims.

The blasts sent panic all over the town, as people rushed to lock their offices and shops, while parents whose wards were still in school hurried to pick them up.

In the process, several minor accidents were recorded, as people ran for safety.
It was gathered that a vehicle laden with explosives was parked in the area, which had been turned into a makeshift market since the Jos main market was burnt several years ago.

Immediately after the blasts, a thick smoke enveloped the scene and caused total darkness and could be seen many kilometres away.

Fire fighters, men of the Special Task Force (STF) and ambulances immediately rushed to the scene and took control. Their efforts prevented the resultant fire from the blasts from spreading to other areas.

Many of the injured were taken to JUTH and Plateau Specialist Hospital.
A survivor, Mr. Chong, said: “I was at the market when I heard a very loud sound. Then darkness enveloped the whole place. I didn't know how I survived.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

-culled from thisday news