Nigerian air force 'mistakenly bombs' refugee camp killing dozens

Dozens of people were killed on Tuesday when an air force jet accidentally bombarded a camp in northeast Nigeria for those made homeless by Boko Haram Islamists.

The incident happened at about 9:00 am (0800 GMT) in Rann, in the far north of Borno state, the epicentre of the extremists' insurgency, as aid workers distributed food to civilians who were forced to flee the violence.

The medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said in a statement: "MSF teams have seen 120 wounded and 50 dead following the bombing."

A senior military source in the Borno state capital, Maiduguri, said the casualties were "huge", adding: "A fighter jet hit the wrong target."

MSF said its teams were trying to provide emergency first aid at its facility in the camp and were stabilising patients to evacuate the wounded from the scene.

"Our medical and surgical teams in Cameroon and Chad are ready to treat wounded patients. We are in close contact with our teams, who are in shock following the event," it added.

Six Red Cross workers were also killed.

"We regret that among the casualties of today's airstrikes in Rann, there are six Nigerian RC members killed and 13 wounded," an ICRC spokeswoman told AFP in a text message.