Car bomb in Maiduguri adds to Nigeria's misery

A car bomb exploded yesterday in a market in Maiduguri, the northeastern Nigerian city that is the birthplace of Boko Haram Islamic extremists, reducing stalls, goods and vehicles to piles of trash. Dozens of people are feared dead.

Witnesses blamed Boko Haram extremists who are accused of a series of recent bomb attacks in the West African nation.

The explosives were hidden under a load of charcoal in a pickup van, according to witnesses who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals.

Trader Daba Musa Yobe, who works near the popular market, said the bomb went off just after the market opened at 8am, before most traders or customers had arrived.

Stalls and goods were reduced to debris, as were the burned-out hulks of five cars and some tricycle taxis set ablaze.

Yobe said security forces cordoned off the area but had a hard time keeping people out, though they warned there could be secondary explosions timed to target rescue efforts.

Witnesses said they saw about 50 bodies. They said the toll may be worse but fewer than normal traders and customers were around because most people stay up late to eat during Ramadan, the Muslim month of fasting from sunrise to sunset.