Boko Haram Suspected In Nigeria Bombing That May Have Killed At Least 40

A bomb exploded in northeast Nigeria Sunday, causing numerous fatalities, reports said.

AFP reported at least 40 killed at a soccer field while Reuters said the number of dead at a television viewing center was unclear. The BBC put the death toll at 14 and said it was at a bar screening a soccer match.

No one claimed responsibility for the attack but the Boko Haram Islamic militant group is active in the area near the Cameroon border.

A police officer and a nurse told AFP at least 40 people had been killed in the 6:30 p.m., local time, attack in Mubi, part of an area that has been under a state of emergency because of Boko Haram activity for more than a year. The report said the bombing occurred as fans were leaving the field after watching a local match.

Reuters noted three people were killed last weekend when a suicide bomb detonated prematurely in Jos. The bomber had targeted an open-air soccer game.

Boko Haram seeks to establish an Islamic state in northern Nigeria. It has received global attention in recent weeks for the kidnapping of 200 schoolgirls.