More than 600 people have been confirmed dead, their bodies recovered from a canal complex in Lagos, after people fled an arms dump explosion, state-run Radio Nigeria said today.
"More than 600 people have been confirmed dead by our reporters," the radio said.
The toll was the first such number provided by an official source.
A Lagos State government spokesman earlier said government agencies had recovered more than 200 bodies.
But he agreed that more bodies will have been recovered by individuals and taken off either straight to hospitals or for immediate burial.
Hundreds of thousands of people fled their homes in Lagos late yesterday after an arms dump close to the Ikeja military barracks exploded sending missiles raining down on the city.
Tens of thousands of people fled to the Isolo area which is bisected by a major canal complex, and hundreds drowned.
AFP