ABUJA, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- A total of 39 people have been killed and 49 others injured in multiple blasts which jolted parts of Nigeria's Maiduguri city, capital of the restive northeastern state of Borno, in less than 24 hours, officials said.
The attacks which hit the northern province between late Thursday and early Friday were carried out by five suicide bombers - two men and three women. In all, five suicide attacks were carried out in two areas on the outskirts of Maiduguri, also known as headquarters of Boko Haram.
At least 29 people, mainly worshippers, were killed Thursday after two male suicide bombers hit a mosque in Molai axis of Maiduguri, local police and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the state-run relief outfit, said separately.
Borno State police chief Aderemi Opadokun told Xinhua the two suicide bombers detonated their improvised explosive devices in and outside the mosque, causing the building to collapse. The two suicide bombers were among the casualties counted, he added.
Fourteen casualties were initially evacuated from the scene of the blast, but 15 more people died while receiving treatment at various hospitals across the Maiduguri, said the local rescue agency.
"The evening prayers were ongoing when we suddenly heard a loud blast, quickly followed by another. It was really devastating to see dismembered bodies littering the ground, blood flowing here and there," an eyewitness, identified as Ashir Mohammed, said.
Early Friday, three female suicide bombers detonated their improvised explosive devices at a place called Umarari Bayan Waya, near Maiduguri, injuring at least 10 people, said Abdulkadir Ibrahim, coordinator of NEMA in Nigeria's northeast region.
Three female suicide bombers carried out the attack and the trio were among the 10 dead casualties counted and evacuated from the scene of the explosions, the headquarters of NEMA said in Abuja, the nation's capital.
The incident on Friday was the third this week to hit the northeast city of Maiduguri after multiple blasts killed at least eight people in another location late Tuesday.
The militant group Boko Haram was blamed for the attacks. The group, fighting against the government to create an Islamic state, has carried out waves of bombings in the northern region and capital city of Nigeria over the years.
Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered military chiefs to end the insurgency of Boko Haram in the most populous African country by December.
