Nigerian army drone accidentally hits civilian village; 85 dies
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Representational.
Lagos: In Nigeria, an army drone accidentally killed 85 civilians on Sunday, reports Agence-France Presse.
The drone strike happened in a village in northwest Kaduna State, officials informed. The army stated that it was aiming at armed groups but accidentally struck the Tudun Biri village while the residents were celebrating a Muslim Festival.
President Bola Ahmed Tinbu has ordered an investigation after the army's statement. In a statement, he reacted to the incident as very unfortunate, disturbing and painful. He added that he is expressing indignation and grief over the loss of Nigerian lives.
When the army did not give an official statement, it was the villagers who gave a death count of 85 people, including women and children.
National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said in a statement that there were another 66 people being treated in the hospital. Tensions have been going on in the village after the mishap, and emergency officials are negotiating with community leaders.
The army said that the drone strike was a routine mission but inadvertently affected people. The affected were mostly women, children and elderly, who were celebrating the Muslim festival of Maulud.
A local told AFP that he was inside his home when the first bomb fell. When the villagers rushed to the spot to rescue the affected, the second bomb fell. His aunt, his brother's wife and her six children, and the wives of his four brothers were all dead, he said. His elder brother's whole family was wiped out, leaving only his infant child.