The death toll in twin car bomb blasts in a marketplace in Nigeria’s troubled northeast has risen to at least 51 people, local sources say.

Local Nigerian officials and aid workers said many more people are believed to be buried under the debris from the Saturday night explosions.

Witnesses and local residents said the blasts caused some buildings to collapse and set others on fire as smoke billowed for hours.

Survivors said the victims include children who were at a wedding celebration and people watching a football match on an outdoor television.

This comes after two explosions hit a crowded marketplace in the northeastern city of Maiduguri, which is the capital of the Borno state in the volatile northeast.

In January, dozens of people were killed after a blast in a popular telecoms market in the city.

Boko Haram has claimed responsibility for a number of deadly gun and bomb attacks in various parts of Nigeria since 2009. Boko Haram -- whose name means “Western education is forbidden” -- says its goal is to overthrow the Nigerian government.

Over the past four-and-a-half years, violence in the north of Africa’s most populous country has claimed the lives of more than 3,600 people, including killings by the security forces.

In May 2013, Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan declared the state of emergency in the three northeastern states of Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa.

Meanwhile, the UN also said violence in the region has displaced nearly 300,000 people, more than half of them children.