Nigeria explosion: Scores killed and wounded after massive blast rips through bus station

Twin blasts at a bus station packed with morning commuters on the outskirts of Nigeria's capital killed dozens of people (AFP ; Getty)

An explosion that ripped through a busy bus station in Nigeria's capital has killed at least 71 people and wounded 124, police said.

Monday's blast in Abuja destroyed 16 luxury coaches and 24 minibuses, police spokesman Frank Mba said.

There was only believed to be one blast, with secondary explosions as vehicle fuel tanks ignited and burned.

Reporters saw rescue workers and police gathering body parts as ambulances rushed the wounded to hospitals.

There was no immediate claim for the rush-hour blast, though the Boko Haram terrorist network has been threatening to attack the capital.

The Islamic extremists, based in north-east Nigeria, carried out a 2011 suicide car bombing at the United Nations office building in Abuja that killed at least 21 people and wounded 60.

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