UPDATE 2: “There was a loud explosion and I could see smoke on the horizon,” one resident said, adding there were claims of clashes breaking out between Christians and Muslims afterward.
UPDATE 1: A lone car bomber approached the church gate hoping to quietly drive into the church before exploding the bomb but the security men at the gate refused him entry.
The bomber then reversed his car and rammed it forcefully against the gate of the church, the gate caved in as the bomb exploded injuring several churchgoers.
Nigerian troops have cordoned off the area while the police and Kaduna state government officials are calming down christian residents in the area to avoid religious confrontations that typically follows such attack in the state.
bbc
Several people have been killed or injured in an explosion during mass at a Catholic church in northern Nigeria, officials say.
The attack happened in Kaduna, scene of many sectarian attacks.
The blast was caused by at least one vehicle being driven towards the church loaded with explosives, witnesses said.
No-one has claimed responsibility, but Islamist group Boko Haram has been involved in several recent attacks in the area.
The attack happened in the Malali neighbourhood of the city.
National Emergency Management Agency spokesman Yushua Shuaib told AP news agency initial reports suggested the attack was by a suicide bomber.
The church was surrounded by soldiers and police after the blast, and ambulances were taking the injured to hospital.
Nigeria is roughly divided between a largely Muslim north, and the south, where Christianity and traditional religions dominate. Kaduna is on the dividing line between the two areas.
Boko Haram is fighting to overthrow the government and impose Sharia law.
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