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| Somalia: At least 230 dead in Mogadishu blasts | |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| A massive bomb attack in a busy area of the Somali capital Mogadishu on Saturday is now known to have killed at least 230 people, police say. | |
| Hundreds more were wounded when a lorry packed with explosives detonated near the entrance of a hotel. | Hundreds more were wounded when a lorry packed with explosives detonated near the entrance of a hotel. |
| It is the deadliest terror attack in Somalia since the Islamist al-Shabab group launched its insurgency in 2007. | |
| It is not clear who staged the bombing, but Mogadishu is a target for al-Shabab militants battling the government. | It is not clear who staged the bombing, but Mogadishu is a target for al-Shabab militants battling the government. |
| President Mohamed Abdullahi "Farmajo" Mohamed has declared three days of mourning for the victims of the blast. | President Mohamed Abdullahi "Farmajo" Mohamed has declared three days of mourning for the victims of the blast. |
| Local media reported families gathering in the area on Sunday morning, looking for missing loved ones amid the ruins of one of the largest bombs ever to strike the city. | Local media reported families gathering in the area on Sunday morning, looking for missing loved ones amid the ruins of one of the largest bombs ever to strike the city. |
| Police official Ibrahim Mohamed told AFP news agency the death toll is likely to rise. "There are more than 300 wounded, some of them seriously," he said. | Police official Ibrahim Mohamed told AFP news agency the death toll is likely to rise. "There are more than 300 wounded, some of them seriously," he said. |
| Officials also confirmed that two people were killed in a second bomb attack in the Madina district of the city. | Officials also confirmed that two people were killed in a second bomb attack in the Madina district of the city. |
| A BBC Somali reporter at the scene of the main blast said the Safari Hotel had collapsed, with people trapped under the rubble. | A BBC Somali reporter at the scene of the main blast said the Safari Hotel had collapsed, with people trapped under the rubble. |
| An eyewitness, local resident Muhidin Ali, told news agency AFP it was "the biggest blast I have ever witnessed, it destroyed the whole area". | An eyewitness, local resident Muhidin Ali, told news agency AFP it was "the biggest blast I have ever witnessed, it destroyed the whole area". |
| Meanwhile, the director of the Madina Hospital, Mohamed Yusuf Hassan, said he was shocked by the scale of the attack. | Meanwhile, the director of the Madina Hospital, Mohamed Yusuf Hassan, said he was shocked by the scale of the attack. |
| "Seventy two wounded people were admitted to the hospital and 25 of them are in very serious condition. Others lost their hands and legs at the scene. | "Seventy two wounded people were admitted to the hospital and 25 of them are in very serious condition. Others lost their hands and legs at the scene. |
| "What happened yesterday was incredible, I have never seen such a thing before, and countless people lost their lives. Corpses were burned beyond recognition." | "What happened yesterday was incredible, I have never seen such a thing before, and countless people lost their lives. Corpses were burned beyond recognition." |