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"They started shooting randomly at worshippers" - Muhammad Bello was near the mosque when the explosions began

Dozens have been killed in a gun and bomb attack during Friday prayers at one of the biggest mosques in the Nigerian city of Kano, reports say.

Many more people have been hurt, with one rescue official putting casualty figures at almost 400.
The Central Mosque is where the influential Muslim leader, the Emir of Kano, usually leads prayers.
The emir recently called for people to arm themselves against Islamist militant group Boko Haram.
The group has been waging an insurgency in Nigeria since 2009 and has killed more than 2,000

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As BBC's Tomi Oladipo, the gunmen opened fire on people as they tried to escape

President Goodluck Jonathan condemned the attack, calling on all Nigerians "to remain united to confront the common enemy".
He said the government would "continue to take every step to put an end to the reprehensible acts of all groups and persons involved in acts of terrorism".
'Helter-skelter' The rescue official, speaking to Agence France-Presse, put the casualty toll at 120 dead and 270 hurt, although this has not been independently confirmed.

Muhammad Sanusi II (C), one of Nigeria's most powerful Muslim leaders, is in Saudi Arabia

Three explosions were reported in and around the mosque. The attackers also turned gunfire on worshippers.
One eyewitness told the BBC's Focus on Africa: "The imam was about to start prayer when he saw somebody in a car trying to force himself into the mosque. But when people stopped him, he detonated the explosions. People started running helter-skelter."
BBC Hausa editor Mansur Liman said one witness at a local hospital had described the scenes there as being the most horrible he had ever seen.

Analysis: Tomi Oladipo, BBC Africa security correspondent, Lagos
It is clear it is not only Christians who face the threat of violence in northern Nigeria. This is a major mosque, frequented by one of the country's most influential Muslim leaders, Kano's emir.
Emir Muhammad Sanusi II has criticised Boko Haram and only last week urged civilians to take up arms against the group. This has raised questions as to whether he was the target of today's attack - although he was out of the country at the time.
While violence in remote rural areas is no longer news for many Nigerians, the increasing attacks in larger cities are sending shockwaves across the country. The military's ongoing counter-terrorism efforts will need more concrete results to boost public confidence.

Our editor says Boko Haram will be the main suspects, as the attack bore all the hallmarks of the group.
No-one from the group has yet commented.
Boko Haram has stepped up attacks against civilian targets since the Nigerian military launched an offensive last year.
Boko Haram was also behind the kidnapping of more than 200 schoolgirls from Chibok in Borno state this year, an act that sparked international outrage.

Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau has declared an Islamic state in the north-east

Who are Boko Haram?

• Founded in 2002
• Initially focused on opposing Western education - Boko Haram means "Western education is forbidden" in the Hausa language
• Launched military operations in 2009 to create Islamic state
• Thousands killed, mostly in north-eastern Nigeria - also attacked police and UN headquarters in capital, Abuja
• Some three million people affected
• Declared terrorist group by US in 2013

Who are Boko Haram?
Profile: Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau

'Call for anarchy' The emir, Muhammad Sanusi II, is currently in Saudi Arabia.
Reliable sources in the emir's palace told the BBC that he had arrived in Saudi Arabia late on Thursday night from Paris.

Boko Haram has targeted the city, the largest in northern Nigeria, several times during its insurgency.
But most of its attacks are further east - in Borno and neighbouring states.
Earlier this month, the emir told a prayer meeting that people should "acquire what they need" to protect themselves.
A police spokesman said the emir's comments were a "call for anarchy" and should not be acted on.
The emir, who until earlier this year was governor of Nigeria's central bank, normally stays silent on political matters.
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David Cameron: "Those who want to claim tax credits and child benefits must live here and contribute to our country for a minimum of four years"

David Cameron has urged other EU leaders to support his "reasonable" proposals for far-reaching curbs on welfare benefits for migrants.

Britain's prime minister said lower EU migration would be a priority in future negotiations over the UK's membership and he would "rule nothing out" if he did not get the changes he wanted.
Under his plans, migrants would have to wait four years for certain benefits.
Brussels said the ideas were "part of the debate" to be "calmly considered".
Mr Cameron said he was confident he could change the basis of EU migration into the UK and therefore campaign for the UK to stay in the EU in a future referendum planned for 2017.
But he warned that if the UK's demands fell on "deaf ears" he would "rule nothing out" - the strongest hint to date he could countenance the UK leaving the EU.
'Emergency brake' BBC political editor Nick Robinson said Mr Cameron's welfare curbs were "a tougher version of an approach already set out by Labour and the Liberal Democrats".
The main proposals in the speech - which are dependent on Mr Cameron remaining in power after May's general election - are:

• Stopping EU migrants from claiming in-work benefits, such as tax credits, and getting access to social housing for four years
• Stopping migrants claiming child benefit for dependents living outside the UK
• Removing migrants from the UK after six months if they have not found work
• Restricting the right of migrants to bring non-EU family members into the UK
• Stopping EU jobseekers claiming Universal Credit
• Speeding up deportation of convicted criminals
• Longer re-entry bans for beggars and fraudsters removed from the UK
• Stopping citizens from new EU entrants working in the UK until their economies have "converged more closely".
• Extra money for communities with high levels of migrants

Mr Cameron ruled out a temporary cap on migrant numbers or an "emergency brake" on EU freedom of movement rules, ideas both mooted in recent months, saying this would be less "effective" than reducing the incentives for people to come to the UK.
And he said there was "no doubt" his proposals would require changes to the treaties governing the European Union, necessitating the support of all EU members.

View from Poland

By Adam Easton, BBC Warsaw correspondent
David Cameron's speech has made headlines in Poland, with commercial news channel TVN24 leading on the story on its website.
But the speech has not provoked the outrage here that his comments on the BBC's Andrew Marr show in January did.
Then Mr Cameron specifically mentioned Poles when he spoke about the need to crack down on EU immigrants claiming benefit payments in the UK. Polish government officials said his words "stigmatised" Poles and were discriminatory.
This time around, Mr Cameron called the Polish Prime Minister Ewa Kopacz beforehand to apprise Warsaw about his speech.
The government here does not oppose moves in the UK to close benefit payment loopholes but Warsaw wants London to do it in a way that is non-discriminatory and in line with EU regulations.
I watched the speech with students at Torun's Copernicus University. Several told me they planned to go to the UK following their studies. None said the proposed benefit restrictions would put them off as they planned to work, not claim benefits.

Mr Cameron began his speech by saying migration had benefited the UK and that he was proud of the "multi-racial" nature of modern Britain.
But he said immigration levels in recent years - the largest in peacetime, he said - had put unsustainable pressure on public services and demands for change were "not outlandish or unreasonable".

Mr Cameron was speaking at the JCB factory in the West Midlands

"The British people will not understand - frankly I will not understand - if a sensible way through cannot be found, which will help settle this country's place in the EU once and for all."
Mr Cameron, who spoke to German Chancellor Angela Merkel and EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker before the speech, said he wanted the package to be adopted across the EU but that if it was not, he would seek a new UK-only arrangement.

Analysis By BBC political correspondent Chris Mason
Consider both the statistical and political imperatives that drove the prime minister to make this speech.
First, the numbers - 260,000 more people arrived in the UK in the year to June than left.
That is roughly the population of Sunderland turning up inside 12 months, needing houses, jobs, school places and doctors' surgeries.
Second, the politics. One word will do - UKIP.
David Cameron needed to combine the two Rs in his speech: being seen as simultaneously radical and realistic.
Bold enough to prove he gets what many see as a problem, believable enough to ensure he achieves what he sees as a solution.
And he did it by deploying a line a certain women's hair shampoo product would be proud of. Do a deal with us Europe, because we're worth it.

At the moment EU citizens are free to come to the UK and compete for jobs without being subject to any immigration controls. Those from outside the EU face much tighter controls if they wish to enter the country.
Outlining proposed restrictions on tax credits and child benefits, Mr Cameron said a migrant in work with two children was getting £700 a month on average in support from the state, twice the amount paid in Germany and three times as much as in France.
"No wonder so many people want to come to Britain," he said, adding that changes to in-work benefits could affect about 400,000 people.
Dr Carlos Vargas-Silva, a migration expert at Oxford University, told the BBC there were an estimated 50,000 EU migrants claiming tax credits who have been in the UK for fewer than four years, adding that the changes could have a real impact.

Note: 2014 shows provisional rolling quarterly estimates

Mr Cameron also responded to criticism that the Conservatives' stated aim in its 2010 manifesto to reduce overall levels of net migration below 100,000 was "in tatters".
The PM acknowledged the goal would not met by May, blaming the economic weakness in the eurozone, and said "more time and work" was needed to accomplish it.
Home Secretary Theresa May said: "We are very clearly saying that we have not achieved that target."
Speaking on BBC Radio 4's PM programme, she also said there was "no set single right number" of immigrants that could come to the UK.
'Negotiating position' Tory MPs reacted positively to the speech but several urged him to go further.
Jacob Rees-Mogg said Mr Cameron's language indicated "he is willing to campaign to leave [the EU] and I believe that strengthens his negotiating position substantially"

But Bill Cash said the proposals did not go far enough, while another Conservative MP, Nigel Mills, said an outright cap on numbers was needed.

Labour leader Ed Miliband said Mr Cameron had made a "no ifs, to buts" promise at the last general election to get migration down and he had "no credibility" on the issue.
UKIP leader Nigel Farage said the prime minister should have apologised for missing his immigration target, and said he was "playing catch-up" with UKIP.
Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg said some of the proposals were "sensible and workable" but said there were "very serious question marks" over others, including deporting jobseekers after six months if they had not found work.
European Commission spokesman Margaritis Schinas said the proposals would have to be "examined without drama".
"It is up to national lawmakers to fight against abuses of the system and the EU law allows for this," he added.
In a statement, the German government emphasised the importance of free movement of people but said it was prepared to work with the UK to find "mutually acceptable solutions".

Out of media player. PressHow do people in the "twinned" UK and Polish towns of Swindon and Toruń feel about David Cameron's immigration plans?

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Pope Francis has called for an interfaith dialogue to counter fanaticism and fundamentalism, at the start of a key visit to Turkey.

In a speech in Ankara, he also called for a renewed Mid-East peace push, saying the region had "for too long been a theatre of fratricidal wars".
He also urged more help for refugees from Syria and Iraq.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the visit was a "significant" step to enhance regional peace.
The Pope's three-day trip - only the fourth visit by a pope to Muslim-majority Turkey - comes as Turkey hosts 1.6m refugees on its southern border, after Islamic State seized swathes of neighbouring Syria and Iraq.

Mark Lowen, BBC News, Ankara
Pope Francis may have had a horse-drawn parade and cannon salute as he entered the lavish presidential compound but there were none of the thousands of people lining the streets as he often receives.
The Pope is being welcomed by Turks as the leader of a faith that is not their own: this is a country which is now 99% Muslim, its long Christian heritage as once the centre of the largely-Christian Byzantine Empire less and less visible.
And yet it is Turkey's historical position as a meeting point of religions and cultures which makes this country a perfect place from which to spread his message of inter-faith dialogue.
Turkey bridges a principally Christian Europe and a mainly Muslim Middle East. While the Pope has denounced the persecution of Christians, Turkey's president says the West must do more to combat Islamophobia. Pope Francis is urging respect and cooperation by each side for the other.
Anxious times for Turkey's Christians

After arriving in Ankara on Friday, Pope Francis held talks with President Erdogan - whose AK Party is rooted in political Islam - and Mehmet Gormez, Turkey's top cleric.
In a speech at a press conference, the Pope called for "a dialogue which can deepen the understanding and appreciation" between faiths.
He said: "Fanaticism and fundamentalism, as well as irrational fears which foster misunderstanding and discrimination, need to be countered by the solidarity of all believers."

This is only the fourth visit by a pope to Muslim-majority Turkey

The Pope called on nations of the Middle East to "reverse the trend" and advance peace in the region.
He said: "Interreligious and intercultural dialogue can make an important contribution to attaining this lofty and urgent goal, so that there will be an end to all forms of fundamentalism and terrorism which gravely demean the dignity of every man and woman and exploit religion."
Turning to the conflicts in Syria and Iraq, he said the international community had a moral duty to assist Turkey in taking care of refugees.
"In addition to providing much needed assistance and humanitarian aid, we cannot remain indifferent to the causes of these tragedies," he said.
He condemned the "violation of the most basic humanitarian laws" by extremists and the persecution of Christian and other minorities.
President Erdogan said the Pope's visit was "a very significant and very crucial step which will enhance the hopes of peace in our region".
He said: "Racism and Islamophobia in the West, and violence and terrorism in Islamic lands make it important that we come together and co-operate."
Mr Erdogan also condemned what he termed the international "silence" over the "state terror" being instigated by the Syrian government.
Blue Mosque Pope Francis is the first foreign dignitary to visit the lavish 1,000-room presidential palace in Ankara.

According to Hurriyet newspaper, the Pope - who is renowned for his humble lifestyle - requested a "modest car" for his trip. He was picked up at the airport by a black Volkswagen saloon.
On Saturday, the Pope will travel to Istanbul, where he is scheduled to visit Sultan Ahmed mosque, the 17th Century place of worship popularly known as the Blue Mosque.
He is also due to sign a joint declaration with Patriarch Bartholomew I, the leader of 300 million Orthodox Christians, on trying to bridge the divides between Catholicism and Orthodox Christianity.
Although most of Turkey's 80 million citizens are Muslims, there are about 120,000 Christians in the country - once the centre of the Orthodox Christian world.

Turkish media on Pope's visit
Turkish media seems most concerned with the security arrangements for the Pope's visit. Postauses the headline "Martial law" to describe heavy security in Ankara and Istanbul.
Other papers take a more neutral tone and talk about his agenda, with some anticipation about the Pope being the first visitor to the new "presidential palace". Hurriyet speculates that President Erdogan's message to the Pope might be: "Let's stop Islamophobia".
The independent news portal says the treatment of Christian minorities in the Middle East is likely to top the Pope's agenda.
One of the secular papers, Daily Cumhuriyet, quotes a senior Turkish religious official who takes issue with the Vatican's idea of inter-religious dialogue, saying: "The discourse of the Church should change".

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Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger will join Manchester United in the race to sign Aston Villa defender Ron Vlaar. According to reports, the Gunners have already prepared an inviting £8million offer and a considerable improvement to his £25,000 per-week wages.
Arsenal are clearly in need of defensive additions in January, and as a ready made Premier League centre-half, Vlaar would clearly fit the bill.

Villa boss Paul Lambert has reiterated his desire to retain his coveted star, but talk over a new deal has yet to yield any results.
In-fact, Vlaar will be eligible to sign a pre-contract agreement with any club of his choice in five-weeks time should they be willing to wait until the summer to secure him.
The news will concern United boss Louis van Gaal who had expected to secure a deal for his 29-year-old compatriot.
United are monitoring the progress of multiple defenders including Raphael Varane, Aymeric Laporte and Winston Reid – but £8m Vlaar would constitute the cheapest option.

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Aaron Ramsey is adamant Arsene Wenger is the right man to lead Arsenal.

The Gunners boss is under increased pressure from fans – and the club’s second-largest shareholder Alisher Usmanov.

Russian billionaire Usmanov voiced his concerns over Arsenal’s worst start to a Premier League season after four wins from 12 matches has left them eighth in the table.

But Ramsey is confident the club can build on last season’s success as long as Wenger is in charge.

He said: “With what he’s [Wenger] done for this club and for us as a group of players, every time we go in we want to work for him and get results for him.

“Everybody’s in it together, and we know all about our qualities.

“Last season we had a great year, this season we wanted to build on that and hopefully we still can.”

Ramsey has also urged Wenger and his own team-mates not to be affected by any criticism they receive.

He added: “It is quite a testing time at the moment but one that we’re looking forward to and that sometimes you face as a professional footballer.

“When you have a few bad results on the bounce a lot of things are being said, but it’s important for us not to listen to that.

“It’s important to stick together as a team. We know all about each other, we know what we have to do and now we just have to show it on the pitch.”

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The Gunners got off to the perfect start in the game in the second minute when Santi Cazorla found space inside the box, and his pass found Sanogo, who poked an effort through Roman Weidenfeller from a tight angle.

Sanogo should have doubled the home side's lead when he was played through on goal by Aaron Ramseyafter beating the offside trap. However, the striker lost his composure in the box as he lost his footing at the vital moment.

The visitors almost got back into the game when Lukasz Piszczek raided down the right and he hit a dangerous cross to the back post for the run of Ciro Immobile, but the ball was just inches out of the striker's reach, with the goal gaping.

Dortmund pressed again when Henrikh Mkhitaryan latched onto Immobile's knockdown in the box, butDamian Martinez made a good save to turn his effort past the post.

In the second half, the Gunners upped the ante and they came within inches of doubling their advantage when Alexis Sanchez fired a low effort at goal, which was pushed past the post by Weidenfeller.

Arsene Wenger's men pushed forward again and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain raided upfield and powered an effort at goal from distance, but his shot cannoned off the bar and went wide.

Arsenal's pressure on the Dortmund goal finally told as Sanchez found the net in spectacular fashion as he picked up the ball 25 yards from goal down the left, and curled an effort into the bottom corner with pinpoint accuracy.

The visitors tried to get back into the game as they dominated possession in the late in the match, but the Gunners held firm at the back to book their place in the latter stages of the competition.

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Qatar clinch their third Gulf Cup title after coming from behind to beat hosts Saudi Arabia in Riyadh.

Qatar have captured their third Gulf Cup trophy after beating tournament hosts Saudi Arabia by coming from behind to win the final. Playing in front of capacity crowd at the King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh, Saud Kariri opened the scoring for the Saudi team after 16 minutes, before Qatar replied with a magnificent header from defender Al Mahdi Ali two minutes later. Khoukhi Boualem scored the winner in the 58th minute to hand Qatar their first Gulf title away from home. Qatar, who won the Gulf Cup in 1992 and 2004, hit form with a 3-1 win in the semi-finals against Oman despite making a slow start to the tournament. The UAE beat Oman 1-0 to claim bronze in the play-off for third and fourth place at the Prince Faisal bin Fahd Stadium on Tuesday night.

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Barcelona forward nets hat-rick to surpass striker Raul's record, days after breaking six-decades old La Liga record.

Barcelona forward Lionel Messi set a Champions League scoring record of 74 goals when he netted a hat-trick in Tuesday's 4-0 Group F win at APOEL Nicosia. The Barca and Argentina captain surpassed the record of 71 he jointly held with former Real Madrid and Schalke 04 striker Raul when he put his side 2-0 ahead shortly before halftime. His achievement is the latest milestone in a stellar career and comes three days after he broke the six decades-old La Liga scoring record with a hat-trick in Barca's 5-1 home win over Sevilla. The 27-year-old added two more goals in the second half to complete his 31st career treble, his fifth in Europe's elite club competition and the first in which he has scored all three with his less-favoured right foot. "I am pleased to have achieved such a nice record in such a nice and important competition but the really important thing is the three points," Messi said in a television interview. Messi overhauled former Athletic Bilbao striker Telmo Zarra's tally of 251 goals, set in 1955, and has 253 in 289 league games for the Catalan club he joined as a 13-year-old. Messi's 74 Champions League goals came in 91 appearances, while Raul needed 142 for Real and Schalke 04 for his 71. Lionel Messi is the greatest player of all time, football is the king of sports and he will continue to surprise everyone for a long time Luis Enrique, Barcalona coach 'Greatest player ever' Messi was hailed as "greatest [football] player of all time" by Barcelona coach Luis Enrique after setting the Champions League scoring record. Real forward Cristiano Ronaldo, who ended Messi's four-year run as World Player of the Year in 2013 with his second award, has scored 70 Champions League goals in 107 matches. The Portugal captain will try to close the gap when Real play at FC Basel in Champions League Group B on Wednesday. Barca had already qualified for the Champions League last 16 along with group leaders Paris St Germain, who won 3-1 at home to Ajax Amsterdam. Barca need to beat the Ligue 1 side when they meet at the Nou Camp on December 10 to secure top spot. "We will try to keep going in the same way and meet the objectives we set ourselves at the start of the season," Messi said. "The PSG match is going to be tough. They have some very good players and they are a team who are growing and improving all the time. "But we are playing at home so we'll try to play a great match and finish first in the group."

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Alexandria court hands juveniles aged 13 to 17 jail sentences of two to five years for belonging to "an outlawed group".

Seventy-eight Egyptian minors have been handed sentences of between two and five years in prison by a juvenile court in Alexandria on charges of "belonging to an outlawed group," according to Egypt's state news agency. Heavy security was seen outside the court in Alexandria on Wednesday, where judicial sources said those sentenced were aged between 13 and 17. The minors' lawyers were barred from attending the court hearing while their family members were forced to wait outside. The 78 minors were arrested for taking part in protests organised by the Muslim Brotherhood that called for the fall of the government and the return of deposed former president Mohamed Morsi to power. They were also charged for obstructing traffic and for spreading fear among local residents and store owners. The minors had denied the charges and said that they were arbitrarily arrested. Nevertheless, the presiding judge handed down combined sentences totalling 340 years. Their sentences can be appealed. Protests against the Egyptian government have been held since the army overthrew Morsi last July following mass protests against his rule. Demonstrations have been staged in support of Morsi but they have lost strength after a fierce security crackdown against his Muslim Brotherhood party. At least 1,400 people are estimated to have been killed, more than 15,000 jailed and hundreds sentenced to death since Morsi's outing. The Muslim Brotherhood has started a social media campaign calling for hunger strikes to take place in solidarity with current Muslim Brotherhood prisoners and in response to what they see as the mistreatment of their members.

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Pope Francis praised the EU's work to improve human rights

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Pope Francis

Pope Francis has warned that the world sees Europe as "somewhat elderly and haggard" during a speech to the European Parliament in Strasbourg.

The Pope said the continent felt "less and less a protagonist", in a world that regarded it with mistrust.

He also called for a "united response" to the help the boatloads of migrants arriving in Europe.

Pope Francis's whistle-stop visit to Strasbourg disgruntled some, who accused him of neglecting Europe.

Many of Strasbourg's Catholics were upset that the Pope would not meet them or visit the city's cathedral.

The four-hour visit - the shortest made by any Pope abroad - was his second European trip since his election last year. He travelled to Albania in September.

'Vast cemetery'

Addressing the Parliament on Tuesday, the Pope called for action following the deaths of thousands of migrants who have drowned while trying to cross the Mediterranean.

"We cannot allow the Mediterranean to become a vast cemetery," he said.

Pope Francis was greeted by the President of the European Parliament, Martin Schulz (right)

"The absence of mutual support within the European Union runs the risk of encouraging... solutions which fail to take into account the human dignity of immigrants, and thus contribute to slave labour and continuing social tensions."

The treatment of migrants was a subject he also touched on during a second speech at the Council of Europe, Europe's main human rights body.

His remarks came as the Greek authorities said they were trying to rescue a cargo ship, believed to be carrying some 500 migrants, that was adrift off the eastern Mediterranean island of Crete.

Grandmother

The Pope also used his visit to Strasbourg to call for the creation of jobs and better conditions for workers.

At the European Parliament, he spoke of a need to reinvigorate Europe, describing the continent as a "grandmother, no longer fertile and vibrant" and saying it risked "slowly losing its own soul".

Pope Francis was transported around Strasbourg in an ordinary family car rather than his Popemobile

"The great ideas which once inspired Europe seem to have lost their attraction, only to be replaced by the bureaucratic technicalities of its institutions," he said.

Pope Francis left his Popemobile behind on Tuesday, instead opting for a French-made Peugeot 407 family car.

Residents in Strasbourg were told they could watch both the pontiff's speeches on a giant screen installed inside the cathedral, which is celebrating its millennial anniversary.

One worshipper told Reuters: "I think there is disappointment but I think he also has reasons for making his decision.

Strasbourg's Catholics did not get to meet the Pope

"He knows what he is doing but we would have liked him to be here."

It was the second time a Pope has visited Strasbourg.

In 1988 Pope John Paul II visited the city and addressed the European Parliament, where he was heckled by Northern Irish MEP the Rev Ian Paisley.

During his speech the late Pope called Europe "a beacon of civilisation".

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The bodies have now been removed

Continue reading the main story

Ebola outbreak

• Search for cure
• Into Ebola heartland
• Orphans in pictures
• The basics

Burial workers in the Sierra Leonean city of Kenema have dumped bodies in public in protest at non-payment of allowances for handling Ebola victims.

The workers, who went on strike over the issue, left 15 bodies abandoned at the city's main hospital.

One of the bodies was reportedly left by the hospital manager's office and two others by the hospital entrance.

The workers have now been sacked for treating the corpses in a "very, very inhumane" way, an official said.

Sierra Leone is one of the countries worst affected by this year's Ebola outbreak, with more than 1,200 deaths.

Burial workers are especially at risk of becoming infected

Kenema is the third largest city in Sierra Leone and the biggest in the east, where the Ebola outbreak first emerged in the country.

The burial workers told a BBC reporter they had not been paid agreed extra risk allowances for October and November.

The BBC's Umaru Fofana in Freetown says the bodies have now been taken away but the workers had refused to end their strike.

Danger after death

A spokesman for the government's National Ebola Response Centre, Sidi Yahya Tunis, said the workers had been sacked not for striking, but for indiscipline by treating the corpses in a "very, very inhumane" manner.

He said there would be an investigation into why workers had not been paid, since both the government and World Bank had released money for high-risk pay to district health management teams.

"Somebody somewhere has to investigate where these monies have been going, who have been paid these monies... Action will definitely be taken against those who delayed their pay," Mr Tunis told the BBC.

The burial workers' industrial action came two weeks after health workers went on strike for similar reasons at a clinic near Bo - the only facility in southern Sierra Leone treating Ebola victims.

Ebola has killed more than 5,000 people in West Africa this year, mostly in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the outbreak a global health emergency.

People are infected when they have direct contact through broken skin, or the mouth and nose, with the blood, vomit, faeces or bodily fluids of someone with Ebola.

The virus can be present in urine and semen too.

Infection may also occur through direct contact with contaminated bedding, clothing and surfaces - but only through broken skin.

The virus is still dangerous and present in the body after death. Burial workers are at risk of infection and commonly wear protective clothing and take other precautions.

Health professionals say those who have died from Ebola should be buried promptly to lessen the risks of infection spreading.

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