Bomb kills 15, hurts dozens of children

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KADUNA, Nigeria, Oct. 29 (UPI) -- A suicide car bomb exploded at a Catholic church in Kaduna, Nigeria, killing at least 15 people and injuring 150, mostly children, an archbishop said.

St. Rita Catholic Church was attacked during mass Sunday and had part of its roof blown off, the Leadership newspaper reported.

The archbishop of Kaduna Diocese, Matthew Man-Ndagoso, visited the injured at St. Gerard Catholic Hospital, the report said.

"I feel more pained in my heart over this unfortunate incident as 90 percent of the victims are children. We pray for their quick recovery and fortitude to bear the loss of those who died in the process. My appeal is to the Christians, especially the Catholic youths, not to consider reprisal as an option as this will rather create more tension and add to the already bad situation."

The suicide bomber drove his car into a portion of the church, destroying a section near where the youth choir was stationed during mass, said Ezekiel Daniang, the choir master of the church.

"The people that were mostly affected are my choir members and the little children, although some other members of the church like those on the altar and the priest were also affected," he said.

The Rev. Bonet Micah was conducting mass when the attack occurred. He was receiving treatment at Garkuwa Specialist Hospital, where he released a message simply saying, "It is well."

No group had taken responsibility for the bombing, though similar attacks have been made by Islamic militant group Boko Haram, which has fought to overthrow the government and implement Sharia law, the BBC reported.