An explosion ripped through a Catholic church during the Christmas service near Nigeria's capital on Sunday, causing deaths and injuries, officials said.
The blast hit St. Theresa Church in Madalla, a town in Niger state near the capital Abuja as worshippers gathered for Christmas Mass.
The cause of the explosion and the number of those injured and killed in the blast were not immediately known.
The emergency services said there were not enough ambulances to evacuate all those injured and killed in the incident.
The explosion comes amid recent attacks by a militant Islamic group, Boko Haram, which has been seeking to impose Sharia law across Nigeria with its predominantly Christian south and largely Muslim north.
