1st LD Writethru: Suicide blasts kill 10, injure 65 in NE Nigeria

ABUJA, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- Ten people were killed and 65 others injured in Nigeria's northeastern city of Maiduguri following two suicide blasts on Wednesday, the police and rescue officials said.

Two people suspected to be members of the terror group Boko Haram detonated their explosive devices at a local market in Muna Garage area located on the outskirts of Maiduguri, capital of the northern state of Borno, the police said.

The blasts caused huge damage, said Damian Chukwu, the police chief in Borno.

The first blast occurred at the entrance of the market while the second blast went off at the center of the market, Chukwu said.

Abdulkadir Ibrahim, a spokesman for the National Emergency Management Agency, said a total of 65 people were wounded in the attacks. They have been taken to a local hospital for treatment.

The attacks occurred close to a camp of the Internally Displaced Persons in Maiduguri, Ibrahim said.

Fruits and consumables were seen scattered in the market after the blasts, witnesses said.

The Muna area of the city witnessed no fewer than 12 suicide attacks last year, with Wednesday's attack marking the first of its kind this year.

Boko Haram is blamed for the death of over 20,000 people and displacement of millions of local people since 2009. Enditem