DHAKA: An attack by Boko Haram Islamist militants in a north-eastern Nigerian town on the Cameroon border has killed hundreds of people.

A local senator and witnesses said on Wednesday, reports The Straits Times.

News of the gruesome attack in Gamboru Ngala emerged hours after the militants stormed the town on Monday, but casualty figures had remained unclear.

Area senator Ahmed Zanna told media that ‘the death toll from the attack is around 300’, while residents said more than 100 bodies had been collected so far and that the toll was likely to rise.

BDST: 1933 HRS, MAY 07, 2014