A suspected suicide bomber struck a Catholic church in Nigeria's central city of Jos, killing at least three people.

The explosion took place Sunday outside St. Finbar's Church in the restive city, which has been shaken by violence between Christians and Muslims.

Emergency officials say a car laden with explosives detonated as it approached the church.

Medical crews raced to the scene to transport the injured to hospitals and investigators cordoned off the area.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast.

A radical Islamic sect known as Boko Haram has claimed responsibility for similar attacks, including one on February 26 that killed at least six people at the Church of Christ in Jos.

The militant group has said it is fighting to impose a strict form of Islamic law across the country.

Nigeria is Africa's most populous nation with more than 160 million people. It is divided roughly in half between the predominantly Muslim north and the mainly Christian south.