A suicide bombing in the central Malian town of Sevare has left at least nine people dead and over 60 wounded.
According to a spokesperson for the regional governor, Yacouba Maiga, all of those who were killed and injured in the triple suicide attack were civilians.
Around 20 buildings, including a petrol station and a military base, were destroyed by the blasts.
Sevare is home to a significant Mali military base and troops from the UN mission in Mali. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Mali has been a hub of violent insurgency since a separatist rebellion in 2012.
Militants with ties to al-Qaeda and Islamic State have expanded their reach to countries in the Sahel region, south of the Sahara, and more recently to coastal states.
This has resulted in the seizure of territory, the killing of thousands and the uprooting of millions.
The attack in Sevare comes two days after the chief of staff of Mali’s interim president, and three others were killed in an ambush.
The Malian government released a statement on national television earlier on Saturday, saying that the army had stopped a “terrorist attack” in Sevare.
The statement added that three vehicles packed with explosives had been destroyed by army drone fire.
It said; “Three vehicles filled with explosives were destroyed by army drone fire.”
Meanwhile, the Malian army announced that a military helicopter had crashed in a residential area in the capital, Bamako, and that they were currently evaluating the crash site.
