Abuja, Oct 3 (IANS): Three explosions rocked the Nigerian capital Abuja late Friday, causing fears for a high number of casualties, sources said.

A heavy explosion first occurred near a local police station in Kuje, a suburb of the Nigerian capital city, and was followed 15 minutes later by another blast inside the town's main market, a security source told Xinhua news agency.

A third explosion was heard at a bus station in Nyanya, on the outskirts of Abuja, where scores of people were killed in a series of bomb blasts a year ago, the source added.

Nigeria's National Emergency Agency (NEMA) said it has deployed rescue teams in the evacuation of the victims to various hospitals in the capital city.

"The explosions which occurred almost simultaneously have resulted in a number of deaths and injuries, but the rescue operations coordinated by NEMA is still ongoing," said a statement by Manzo Ezekiel, a spokesman of the rescue agency.