Nigeria bus station explosion: Death toll doubles to 18; dozens more injured

(CNN) — An explosion in a bus station filled with laborers killed 18 people in the Nigerian capital of Abuja, authorities said Friday.

The explosion injured 66 people Thursday night, said Manzo Ezekiel, a spokesman for the National Emergency Management Agency.

The workers were on their way home for the May Day holiday when the blast occurred.

Ezekiel said it hit about 100 meters from the scene of an April 14 explosion that killed 71 people.

In that blast, about 130 people were hurt when a parked vehicle exploded in the Nyanya Motor Park bus station crowded with early morning commuters.

Boko Haram’s leader claimed responsibility for the April 14 bombing. The Islamist militant group — whose name means “Western education is sin” in the local Hausa language — has bombed schools, churches and mosques; kidnapped women and children; and assassinated politicians and religious leaders.