Facebook Activates Safety Check After Bombing In Nigeria Kills 32

The city of Yola, where the blast occurred, has previously been the target of attacks by extremist group Boko Haram.

Bomb blast hits Yola park market https://t.co/59Lqvx68Ef via @dailypostngr

After an explosion at a market in northeastern Nigeria left at least 32 people dead and 80 wounded on Tuesday, Facebook announced that the social media platform would initiate its Safety Check feature.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg posted Tuesday night that his company "made the decision to use Safety Check for more tragic events like this going forward."

Zuckerberg added that a team was in the process of setting parameters for when and how to activate the service.


The blast struck the city of Yola on Tuesday, which has previously been the target of attacks by extremist group Boko Haram.

Residents of the city told the Nigerian Daily Post that the explosion could be heard throughout the city. The explosive device appears to have been placed at a truck parking lot, going off Tuesday evening and ripping into the neighboring vegetable market, The Post reported.

In October, a bombing at a mosque in the city left at least 27 people dead.

The city has become a destination for people fleeing the violence of Boko Haram. A camp for "internally displaced persons" sits at Yola's outskirs.

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari visited the camp on Friday, promising the government's support and adding that he believed Boko Haram would "soon be a thing of the past."


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