UPDATE - Nigeria: 11 children killed as vehicle hits rally

UPDATES DEATH TOLL AND CHANGES HEADLINE

By Rafiu Ajakaye

LAGOS, Nigeria (AA) - At least 11 schoolchildren were killed Tuesday when a van rammed into a religious procession in Nigeria’s northeastern state of Gombe held to commemorate the birth of Islam's Prophet Muhammad, police said.

Police spokesman Ahmed Usman said the death toll, initially at eight, was now at 11.

“At the moment, 11 children have been confirmed dead and buried in Malam Sidi,” Usman told Anadolu Agency on Wednesday

“The children were taking part in what we understood was a Mawlid rally organized by various schools,” he added, saying 19 others were injured.

Mawlid refers to the birth of Prophet Muhammad. Nigeria had declared Monday Dec. 12 as a national holiday to commemorate the event but various Muslim groups, mostly Sufis, often hold Mawlid events for as long as possible until Ramadan.

Usman said the driver of the van was burned to death by a mob protesting the incident “allegedly because the man attempted to run away”.

He said two arrests have been made in relation to the mob attack while peace has been restored in the community which lies a few kilometers away from Gombe, the capital city of the eponymous state.

Local news medium Daily Trust said 12 children were killed in the accident, quoting local sources. Anadolu Agency could not confirm this figure.