Death toll rises to 5 in Nigeria explosion

The death toll has risen to five after a devastating explosion hit a residential area in Nigeria's southwestern state of Oyo earlier this week, an emergency response official said Friday, reported Xinhua.

The explosion occurred Tuesday night at a private residence in Bodija, a district in Ibadan, the capital of Oyo state, with at least two people confirmed dead and 77 others injured.

Three more bodies were dug out of the rubble as of Thursday and the rescue operation was still ongoing, Temitope Alonge, head of the emergency response team deployed for the search and rescue operation for the victims, told Xinhua Friday over the phone.

On Wednesday, Oyo state governor Seyi Makinde said in a statement on X, formerly known as Twitter, that "preliminary investigations by security agencies revealed that illegal miners occupying one of the houses in Bodija had stored explosive devices there, causing the blast."

According to local media reports, several buildings collapsed due to the effect of the blast.

Nigerian President Bola Tinubu has ordered a thorough probe of the incident.