Sunday 8 April 2012

Nigerian church targeted in Easter bomb attack

A car bombing near a church in northern Nigeria on Easter Sunday killed at least 20 people and put the country on alert over fears of further attacks, rescue officials and residents said.

The explosion, a stark reminder of Christmas Day attacks that left dozens of people dead in Africa's most populous nation and largest oil producer, hit the city of Kaduna, a major cultural and economic centre in the north.

Motorcycle taxi drivers and passers by appeared to have borne the brunt of the blast, and body parts littered the area.

As news of the attack spread, security forces boosted patrols in key areas, including in the capital Abuja, where soldiers were sent to reinforce police posted near churches.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

Details were still emerging of the attack, but at least one car said to be driven by a suicide bomber was believed involved. A rescue official speaking on condition of anonymity said two vehicles packed with explosives detonated.

"Now we have 20 dead from the twin explosions," said the rescue official, who was not authorised to speak publicly. Officials were still counting the number of wounded, he added.

"Bombs concealed in two cars went off just opposite this church," he said.

A police officer at the scene said a man believed to be a suicide bomber driving a car was stopped at a checkpoint near another church, the Evangelical Church of West Africa, and turned back.

KADUNA, NIGERIA - Apr 08 2012

http://mg.co.za/article/2012-04-08-church-targeted-in-easter-bomb-attack-nigerias-north

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Bus crash in Argentina kills at least 10, hurts 40


BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — A bus ran off a road in northern Argentina and plunged into a ravine, killing 10 people and injuring about 40 others, officials said Saturday. Two Germans were reported among the dead.

The bus operated by the company Potosi left Villazon, Bolivia, on Friday night and was traveling on a route to Buenos Aires when the crash occurred in the province of Jujuy, prosecutor Alejandro Maldonado said.

Maldonado said six of the 10 victims had been identified by Saturday evening, including two Germans identified as Sophie Colombine Aring and Herman Schneider. He said the other four victims identified so far were Bolivians.

Police said a 6-year-old girl and a 6-month-old girl were among those killed.

The bus was carrying 69 passengers as well as two drivers and another employee, Maldonado said by phone from Jujuy province.

"The vehicle fell into a ravine of about 200 meters (650 feet)," he said.

The rugged location as well as the badly wrecked bus and scattering of passengers' bags and documents complicated the task of identifying victims, Maldonado said.

"We're trying, with the help of the Bolivian consul and some of the relatives, to establish the identity of all the deceased people," the prosecutor said.

The cause of the crash was still under investigation.

The Argentine news agency Infobae said the 69 passengers were mostly Bolivians but included three Peruvians, three French people, two Germans, a Panamanian, a Spaniard and a British citizen.

April 7, 2012

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-501715_162-57410867/bus-crash-in-argentina-kills-at-least-10-hurts-40/

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