Death Toll from Nigeria Explosion Rises to Nine 
Authorities and residents disagree on cause of explosion in Kano state 
The NEMA head in Kano, Nura Abdullahi, told VOA that the rescue operations came to an end Tuesday evening. "It has been concluded, the search and rescue has come to an end with nine bodies recovered and ten people injured." Abdullahi said injured were hospitalized, and said two have so far been discharged. Authorities said a gas cylinder explosion near a welder's shop in Sabon Gari area caused the building to collapse Tuesday morning. The explosion affected a nearby nursery and primary school where students were in class. In a viral video posted on social media young school pupils with blood stains on their uniforms were taken from a school close to the explosion site. Local residents challenged the official explanation, saying the explosion was caused by a bombing. State commissioner of police Samaila Shuaibu Dikko visited the site with explosive disposal teams and rejected the claims in a televised interview. "We had to rush down with our experts, if you can see, they said it was a bomb explosion but sincerely it's not bomb explosion, and I want to emphasize that it is a gas cylinder explosion." Sabon Gari is mostly populated by people who moved to Kano from elsewhere.