At least four people were killed and a dozen others injured on Tuesday after an explosion at a popular market in Nigeria‘s southeastern Anambra state, a witness and an official said. Emeka Umeagbalasi, who heads the civil society group Intersociety and witnessed the incident, said the explosion occurred in a section of the market where chemicals are sold, leading to a fire that destroyed some shops while “four people died and many (were) injured “.
Onitsha South Local Government Chairman Emeka Orji confirmed the death toll to reporters, adding that at least 12 people were injured as people were forced to leave the market. The Anambra State Police spokesman said the death toll was unknown but the situation was under control while the state emergency agency said it was investigating. Anambra is among the southeastern states seeking to break away from Nigeria and has been plagued by violence that authorities blame on separatist groups.
