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Somalia suicide blast kills nine in Mogadishu Somalia: Huge suicide blast kills many in Mogadishu
(40 minutes later)
A suspected suicide bomber has struck near government buildings in the Somali capital, Mogadishu. At least 55 people have been killed by a huge suspected suicide blast near government buildings in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, say officials.
A BBC correspondent in the city said he had seen at least nine bodies at one government ministry. Eyewitnesses said a truck carrying explosives was driven into a gate near a government ministry and detonated.
Unconfirmed local media reports put the number of casualties much higher. Sheikh Ali Mohamed Rage, a spokesman for the Islamist militant group al-Shabab, told the BBC it had carried out the attack.
A spokesman for the Islamist militant group al-Shabab, which has links to al-Qaeda and controls large swathes of south and central Somalia, said it carried out the attack. A BBC correspondent at the ministry said there were bodies on the ground.
The co-ordinator of Mogadishu's ambulance service, Ali Ruse, said 65 bodies had been recovered and at least 50 other people had been injured. He said it was the worst incident he had ever experienced.
The blast struck outside a compound housing government buildings in the Kilometre Four district.
An official with Mogadishu's ambulance service, Ali Ruse, said 65 bodies had been recovered and at least 50 other people had been injured.
"Some are still lying there. Most of the people have burns," he told Reuters news agency."Some are still lying there. Most of the people have burns," he told Reuters news agency.
Witnesses said a vehicle had been used to carry out the attack. Members of the UN-backed transitional government were meeting in the building at the time, but it is not yet clear if they were among the casualties.
Somalia has been without an effective central government since 1991 - the weak transitional government and Islamist militias are competing for control of the country.
Al-Shabab, which has links to al-Qaeda, controls large swathes of south and central Somalia.
It retreated from Mogadishu two months ago, but analysts said that without a front line it was likely to begin carrying out more bombings, including suicide attacks.
Last week, al-Shabab tried but failed to seize two towns from pro-government forces near Somalia's border with Kenya.
Somalia's political instability has been compounded in the past year by the worst drought in six decades, which has forced tens of thousands of people to flee to Mogadishu in search of food.
The UN has declared a famine in six regions of Somalia.
The BBC's East Africa correspondent, Will Ross, said the latest attack will not only worry the government but also the aid agencies, who have been taking great risks to get food to the drought victims.
Are you in Somalia? Did you witness the blast in Mogadishu? Send us your comments and experiences.