At least 30 people, including three attackers, were killed and at least 80 were injured in a triple suicide bombing blast on an island in Lake Chad, according to reports.

Security officials said the attacks on Saturday were carried out on the island of Koulfoua on the Chadian side of Lake Chad on a busy market day.

Police in Chad said the bombers were all women. No one has yet claimed responsibility for the blasts but officials suspect the attacks were carried out by members of the Boko Haram armed group from neighoubouring Nigeria.

General Banyaman Cossingar, Chad gendarmerie director general, confirmed the attack, saying Boko Haram is suspected, the AP news agency reported.

State of emergency

Chad's government instituted a state of emergency in the Lake Chad region last month, saying the area had become a gathering point for Boko Haram fighters.

More than 5,000 soldiers have been deployed on islands and lakeside villages there.

Earlier this year, thousands of people fleeing Boko Haram sought refuge on the island although it was not immediately clear if they were still based there.

Boko Haram, which has led a six-year armed campaign in Nigeria, has stepped up attacks this year in Chad, Niger and Cameroon after those countries agreed to fight the armed group..

Al Jazeera