2 dead in 'double blast' in northeast Nigeria

At least two people have been killed in twin explosions in the northeast Nigerian town of Damaturu, residents said on Friday.

"There were two blasts near the Eid prayer ground," said Ahmad Adamu, a security volunteer.

"The first blast went off around 7:15 am (0615 GMT) while security volunteers who had come earlier than worshippers were waiting for the worshippers so they could assist in crowd control. Two were killed and three were injured."

He added: "While we were attending to the victims we heard another blast about 500 metres (547 yards) away. I didn't go there because I was occupied with the first victims but I heard that one person was injured."

Local resident Dahiru Nguru said he was home preparing for the Eid festival marking the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan when he received a call from a friend who works as a security volunteer.

"He informed me of the two blasts: one at the Eid prayer ground and the second one nearby. At least two people were killed and three people were injured," Nguru said.

The blasts come as Nigeria's new president Muhammadu Buhari prepares to fly to Washington to meet his US counterpart Barack Obama on Monday.

Nigeria is facing an uptick in violence from the jihadist group Boko Haram, and Buhari -- who came to power in late May -- is expected to push for US help to tackle the insurgency.