Suicide blasts kill 56 in Nigeria market

Two schoolgirl suicide bombers killed 56 people and wounded dozens more in a coordinated attack on a crowded market in the northeastern Nigerian town of Madagali on Friday, a local official said.

The bombings bore the hallmark of Islamist militant group Boko Haram, which has been waging an insurgency to set up a state adhering to a strict interpretation of Muslim laws in the northeast. There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

Yusuf Mohammed, chairman of the local district government, said the bombings left 56 people dead and wounded 57.

Boko Haram has frequently targetted crowded areas -- such as markets, places of worship and refugee camps -- in suicide bomb attacks across northeast Nigeria and in neighbouring Cameroon and Niger.