At least 25 people have been killed and at least 50 others wounded in a truck bomb blast near a key intersection in Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu, officials and witnesses said.
The blast near Zobe, a busy intersection, may have been a suicide bomber, a police official told VOA. Witnesses said the blast occurred during a traffic jam.
A VOA reporter at the scene of the blast counted at least 25 bodies as they were transported by the city’s emergency Amin ambulance service.
The reporter said buildings around the area were leveled by the explosion from a truck bomb, and dozens of destroyed cars continue to burn in the streets.
“For 10 years I have been in the emergency service, this is the first I have witnessed. I cannot tell the exact death toll, but together I can say we have transported hundreds of people on our 10 ambulances,” said Dr. Abdulkadir Abdirahman Adem, director of the Amin ambulance service. “And economically, I think this is the worst ever in Mogadishu in a single day.”
Government soldiers have cordoned off the area, and rescuers suspect that dead or injured people are trapped under debris of some destroyed buildings, fearing the death toll will rise.
Most of the victims were civilians. The exact target of the blast remains unclear, though there are several hotels frequented by government officials and members of various diaspora communities.
The government’s top security officials are at the blast site calling for the city’s residents to help the rescue operation.
“This is a disaster. We ask all Somalis to reach us, to help us in the search of dead bodies under the debris. We appeal to the doctors, to those who have digging machines,” Mogadishu Mayor, Tabid Abdi Mohamed said on government radio.
“It is a disaster. The terrorist elements have targeted civilians. Once we conclude the statement we will tell the exact casualty,” said the Security minister, Mohamed Abukar Islow, on the same radio broadcast.
The security forces also foiled another attack when they intercepted an explosive laden-car heading to the first attack scene and took the driver into custody, according to police officials who requested anonymity.