Not less than 12 loggers were killed as the vehicle conveying them hit a landmine in an area where Boko Haram jihadists are active in Borno state, near the border with Cameroon.

Two NGOs working in the region disclosed this on Wednesday, Jan. 31.

The loggers were on their way to the bush to collect firewood when the flat-bed vehicle conveying them rolled over a mine suspected to have been planted by Boko Haram jihadists on the highway outside Pulka village, the NGOs said in two reports seen by AFP on the incident, which happened on Monday, Jan. 29.

“Men suspected to be Boko Haram… planted explosive… and killed 12 people while many were injured along Pulka to Gwoza route,” one of the reports read.

According to the other report, which gave the same toll, seven other loggers were injured “out of which three are very critical and have been evacuated to Maiduguri for further medical attention”.

The Nigerian security forces did not respond to a request for confirmation of the blast.

There has been a surge in mine explosions targeting civilian convoys recently that have been blamed on jihadists.