Huge Blast Rocks Nigerian City Of Ibadan

A massive explosion in the Nigerian city of Ibadan killed two people and injured 77 others overnight.

Rescue and recovery efforts are ongoing in seven suburbs of Nigeria's third-most-populous city.

The cause of the blast is still unclear, but the authorities suspect that it may have been triggered by mining explosives stored in a house.

Photos show buildings reduced to near rubble and vehicles destroyed by shells.

Dramatic videos have been shared on social media, with one witness describing a mall being destroyed in Bodija, a residential district of the city.

"We hear a loud bang around 07:30 pm. Dominoes Pizza and Ace Mall in Bodija were destroyed," he said.

Police have promised a swift inquiry into the explosion.

"Preliminary investigations by the security agencies revealed that illegal miners occupying one of the houses in Bodija had stored explosive devices there which caused the blast," the regional governor Seyi Makinde said.BBC