Maiduguri blast death toll rises to 43
The death toll from Tuesday’s blast near a busy market in Maiduguri rose to 43 yesterday, hospital and emergency workers said.
Governor Kashim Shettima, who was in Abuja when the incident happened, returned to Maiduguri yesterday, weeping as he visited victims in hospital.
Many victims who sustained injuries have been treated and discharged, hospital sources said. Most of the victims are youths who sell recharge cards and handset accessories at the GSM market near the Post Office.
Shettima, who visited the Mamman Shuwa Hospital and the scene of the blast, described the incident as “sad and wicked” with a promise to foot the bills of the victims and reimburse their business capital after full recovery.
He said Borno was fast recovering from what he called “doom days of the past” when the latest blast occurred but said people of the state would remain resolute in surmounting their challenges.
Our correspondents reported that most of the bodies were deposited at the mortuary of the State Specialist Hospital which is being closely guarded by military personnel. A mortuary attendant said he counted 43 bodies, many of them decapitated and some with serious burns.
“We worked throughout the night of Tuesday receiving victims because those who were hit badly by shrapnel had to be packed in nylon bags. As religion and culture here demand, many relatives came and recovered bodies of their loved ones for burial but we still have unclaimed bodies,” he said.
Some of those that sustained serious injuries died yesterday. Journalists were barred from going close to the morgue as only families members of victims were allowed access to recover remains after properly identifying themselves.
Fanna Mamman, a mother of four children said she was looking for her husband. “He normally hawks cola nuts around the Post Office but did not come back home yesterday. We came to check but he is nowhere to be found; we are heading to Umaru Shehu hospital and thereafter other hospitals to try our luck,” she said. A senior officer at the hospital said details on victims would only be released after approval by military authorities and the Commissioner for Health, Dr Salma Anas Kolo. Another nurse, A’isha, said, “We receive drugs from NEMA and Red Cross who have assisted us in many ways, including the evacuation of corpses.”
There was heavy traffic in Maiduguri yesterday as result of increased surveillance by security operatives and the closure of some roads. The road leading to the scene is yet to be open to motorists as the GSM market which was a rallying point for men and women remained empty. The place is dotted with charred cars and personal effects of victims but far from the scene, a few traders were selling their wares by the road side yesterday.