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At least 55 reported killed by Boko Haram suicide bombers

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People gather at the site of a suicide bomb attack at a market in Maiduguri, Nigeria, on June 22, 2015. A teenage girl strapped with explosives ran away from a crowded mosque this week, killing only herself and cementing suspicions that Boko Haram is using unwilling captives in its terror campaign in northeast Nigeria. The girl took off after her companion blew up in an explosion that killed 30 people on Monday in Maiduguri, the biggest city in northeast Nigeria, witnesses and a mortuary worker said.
People gather at the site of a suicide bomb attack at a market in Maiduguri, Nigeria, on June 22, 2015. A teenage girl strapped with explosives ran away from a crowded mosque this week, killing only herself and cementing suspicions that Boko Haram is using unwilling captives in its terror campaign in northeast Nigeria. The girl took off after her companion blew up in an explosion that killed 30 people on Monday in Maiduguri, the biggest city in northeast Nigeria, witnesses and a mortuary worker said. JOSSY OLA AP
LAGOS, Nigeria

Suicide bombings in northeastern Nigeria killed at least 55 people and injured 100 others, the local civil defense leader reported Saturday.

Several women blew themselves up in crowds that had gathered in the village of Zabarmari on Friday, shortly after an attack by members of Boko Haram, according to reports.

The local leader said the death toll could rise, as a number of people were dismembered in the explosions, leaving the exact number of bodies difficult to ascertain. Children are believed among the dead.

Police meanwhile found unexploded bombs at the scene on Saturday, which were disabled.

Zabarmari is near the city of Maiduguri, which is considered a Boko Haram stronghold. There have been a number of suicide attacks in the region, increasingly committed by women.

On Thursday, two female suicide bombers killed 11 people in villages in Borno state, while about 150 people were killed in Borno villages earlier in the week.

This story was originally published July 4, 2015 at 5:18 PM with the headline "At least 55 reported killed by Boko Haram suicide bombers."

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