200 killed,many injured in Kano mosque bombing

About 200 people died and 370 were injured on Friday as the violent Boko Haram sect bombed the 10,000 capacity Kano Central Mosque where the Emir, Alhaji Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, usually leads prayers.

About 10 gunmen went on a shooting spree after the blast at the mosque, which is close to the Emir of Kano’s palace.

A rescue official, who spoke with AFP, put casualty figures at almost 400 in the three explosions that rocked the mosque.

Many of the casualties were children got got trampled in the stampede that ensued after the explosions.

The Emir had travelled to Saudi Arabia late on Thursday night from Paris.

Witnesses said the incident occurred just as residents were getting set for Friday prayers.

“The attackers have bombed the mosque. I saw people screaming,” a local reporter who resides in Kano, Chijjani Usman, told Reuters.

Bodies of the dead were taken to the Murtala Mohammed Specialist Hospital and the Nasarawa Hospital.