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| 'Deaths mounting' in Nigeria riot | 'Deaths mounting' in Nigeria riot |
| (20 minutes later) | |
| At least 149 people have been killed during two days of violence between Christian and Muslim gangs in the Nigerian city of Jos, officials say. | At least 149 people have been killed during two days of violence between Christian and Muslim gangs in the Nigerian city of Jos, officials say. |
| Mosque workers and Muslim clerics told reporters of the deaths as they prepared for a mass burial. | |
| The death toll has not been verified independently and it is not known how many Christians have died. | |
| The clashes broke out on Sunday and have continued since, with reports of gunfire and burning buildings. | The clashes broke out on Sunday and have continued since, with reports of gunfire and burning buildings. |
| A 24-hour curfew has been enforced in the area, which has seen several bouts of deadly violence in recent years. | A 24-hour curfew has been enforced in the area, which has seen several bouts of deadly violence in recent years. |
| At least 200 people were killed in clashes between Muslims and Christians in 2008, while some 1,000 died in 2001. | At least 200 people were killed in clashes between Muslims and Christians in 2008, while some 1,000 died in 2001. |
| The current violence has forced at least 3,000 people from their homes. | |
| It was thought about 20 people had died in the violence on Sunday. | |
| But Balarabe Dawud, head of the Central Mosque in Jos, told AFP news agency he had now counted 192 bodies since Sunday. | |
| Muhammad Tanko Shittu, a mosque worker who was helping to prepare mass burials, told Reuters he had counted 149 bodies. | |
| "On Sunday evening, we buried 19 corpses and 52 yesterday. As of right now, there are 78 at the mosque yet to be buried," he said. | |
| Anglican Archbishop of Jos Benjamin Kwashi told the BBC that the situation was improving in the city centre, where security forces have been deployed. | |
| But the violence spread beyond the city boundaries on Tuesday to neighbouring areas. | |
| Jos is in Nigeria's volatile Middle Belt - between the mainly Muslim north and the south where the majority is Christian or follows traditional religions. | Jos is in Nigeria's volatile Middle Belt - between the mainly Muslim north and the south where the majority is Christian or follows traditional religions. |
| Correspondents say such clashes in Nigeria are often blamed on sectarianism. | Correspondents say such clashes in Nigeria are often blamed on sectarianism. |
| However poverty and access to resources such as land often lie at the root of the violence. | However poverty and access to resources such as land often lie at the root of the violence. |