DAMATURU, Nigeria: Some 150 people were killed in attacks claimed by an Islamist group in northeastern Nigeria, a rescue agency official said on Saturday.

"I was involved in the evacuation of corpses to the morgue. I personally counted 150 bodies," the official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said at the hospital. He said some families had already collected their loved ones for burial, reducing the number to 97 by end of the day.

An AFP reporter counted 97 corpses still in the mortuary.

The Red Cross earlier said the death toll stood at 63, while police spoke of 53, of whom 11 were members of its force.

"From our inventory, 53 people have so far been killed in the attack," said local police chief Suleimon Lawal.

