PH collegiate sports

At least 20 dead in ‘huge’ Mogadishu blast – police

Agence France-Presse

This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article.

At least 20 dead in ‘huge’ Mogadishu blast – police
(UPDATED) Witnesses say the blast badly damaged a nearby hotel and left scenes of devastation on the busy road

MOGADISHU, Somalia (UPDATED) – More than 20 people were killed when a car bomb exploded on a busy street in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu on Saturday, a police official said.

“Initial reports from emergency departments indicate more than 20 bodies picked up off the street and many more are under the wreckage of buildings destroyed by the blast”, said Ibrahim Mohamed, a senior police officer.

Government security official Mohamed Aden said that bombing took place in a busy part of the city. 

“There was a huge blast caused by a truck loaded with explosives. It went off at the entrance of a hotel alongside the K5 intersection,” he said.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but the Al-Qaeda aligned Shabaab carries out frequent suicide bombings in the capital and elsewhere as it fights to overthrow the internationally-backed government.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but the Al-Qaeda aligned Shabaab carries out frequent suicide bombings in the capital and elsewhere as it fights to overthrow the internationally-backed government.

Witnesses said the blast, which threw a thick cloud of smoke into the sky that could be seen across the city, badly damaged a nearby hotel and left scenes of devastation on the busy road.

“This was very horrible, the bomb went off alongside the busy road and left many people dead. I saw several dead bodies strewn about but could not count them,” said witness Ismail Yusuf.

“It was horrible.”

Muhidin Ali, a Mogadishu resident who was close by at the time said it was, “the biggest blast I have ever witnessed, it destroyed the whole area.” – Rappler.com

Add a comment

Sort by

There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.

Summarize this article with AI

How does this make you feel?

Loading
Download the Rappler App!