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Dozens of people were feared killed as explosion rocked the local Kantin Kwari Market in northwestern Nigeria's state of Kano on Wednesday, witnesses told Xinhua.
The explosive device was planted at a carpark at the place, one of the biggest and busiest textile markets in the northern region of Nigeria, Africa's most populous country, a witness named Salihu Ahmed said.
"So many people, more than 20, have died; many others were injured. Rescue operators have just arrived and the security operatives have now cordoned off the area," the witness said.
Another witness identified as Baba Ibrahim said he saw many dead bodies while running for safety after the loud blast.
A senior police officer said the security agency was compiling comprehensive details of the attack and that a press conference will be held.
The incident occurred barely two weeks after suicide bombers hit the central mosque near the Emir's palace in Kano State, killing over 120 people and injured more.
It is still unsure whether the attack was a perpetration of the militant sect Boko Haram which has carried out a series of similar attacks in the country.
The Kantin Kwari Market, located in the city center of Kano, is a Mecca of sort to merchants of textile materials in the West African country.
Boko Haram, which seeks to enshrine the Islamic Sharia law in Nigeria, has killed thousands of people, including women and children, since it launched its violence in the African country in 2009. Enditem
