BEIJING - A wave of deadly explosions rocked Nigeria Sunday, leaving at least 39 dead and many others injured, with the United Nations and the United States condemning the bomb attacks.

The Nigerian National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said Sunday that a bomb exploded near a church in Abuja, capital of the country, during the Christmas Day prayers.

The blast occurred at exactly 8:10 am local time at St. Theresa Catholic Church in Madala, 40 km away from downtown Abuja, after Christmas mass. At least 25 bodies have been recovered from the blast scene, and six of the bodies have burnt beyond recognition.

The bomb exploded 100 to 150 meters away from the church premises, and there was a big hole at the spot of the explosion. Several properties and several vehicles around the church were destroyed, and some security officials were seen at the scene taking the bodies away.

The bombs were believed to have been planted on the main road near the church premises. A witness said they were preparing for the second mass when the bombs exploded, while some other worshippers said that more than 200 at the church remained missing.

Merely hours after the bomb explosion near Abuja, blasts were also reported at a church in Nigeria's central city of Jos and at a church in the town of Gadaka in the northern state of Yobe.

Also on Sunday, three suspected suicide bombers died in northeast Nigeria's Yobe State when the explosives they attempted to use exploded prematurely.