1st LD Writethru: 5 killed after suicide bombing near hospital in NE Nigeria

Five people were killed and 15 others injured after a suicide bombing incident near a hospital in Nigeria's Maiduguri city, capital of the northeastern Borno State, an official and witness said Sunday.

Two female suicide bombers on Saturday attempted to gain entry into a government-run hospital located in Molai area of the city but were stopped by security operatives on duty at the facility, said Mohammed Kanar, the regional coordinator of the National Emergency Management Agency.

The female suicide bombers blew up themselves, while detonating the explosive devices wired round their body, the chief rescue worker said.

Ibrahim Jamu, a witness who participated in the rescue work at the scene of the blast, said 15 injured were rushed to the state- run Maiduguri General Hospital for treatment. "We evacuated the charred bodies of two security guards, another civilian and the two female bombers," he added.

Local people blamed the incident on Boko Haram, a terror group which has killed more than 13,000 people since 2009, the wake of its violent attacks in 2009 in Nigeria, Africa's most populous country.

Bomb attacks targeting civilians are one of the terror group's major tactics in causing panic and inflicting pressure on government.

A series of suicide blasts have been recorded in various parts of Nigeria this year. Boko Haram also extended its suicide bombings to neighboring Niger and Chad. Both countries, together with Nigeria and Cameroon, have formed a military task force to fight the group. Endi