At least 26 people were killed on Monday when two vehicles struck an improvised explosive device (IED) in Nigeria’s northeastern Borno state, a region long plagued by Islamist insurgencies, residents reported.
The International Safety Organization, which provides security for foreign NGOs in the area, stated in an internal memo seen by Reuters that the vehicles were traveling between the towns of Rann and Gamboru Ngala when they hit the IED. The blast resulted in 26 fatalities and three injuries, according to the organization.
Borno state police did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Boko Haram and its splinter group, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), have been engaged in a violent insurgency against Nigerian security forces for over 15 years, frequently using IEDs to target civilians and military personnel.
Liman Tom, a witness traveling along the route, said the vehicles were severely damaged, and survivors were quickly transported to the hospital by soldiers and members of the Civilian Joint Task Force, who arrived at the scene shortly after the explosion.
Abba Amma Muhammad, who witnessed the wreckage of a car carrying his mother, attributed the attack to Boko Haram. “I can’t even recognize her remains,” Muhammad told Reuters.