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UPDATE: Death toll in Mogadishu bombing rises to at least 90

An explosion at a bustling checkpoint in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu on Saturday killed at least 90 people were killed in a truck bombing in Mogadishu on Saturday, according to a report from an international organisation working in Somalia. The death toll from the blast had earlier been reported as 61. Rescuers carried dead bodies past the twisted wreckage of a vehicle and minibus taxis smeared with blood.

“So far, we’ve carried 61 dead people and 51 others injured. There are more casualties and the death toll is sure to rise,” Abdikadir Abdirahman Haji Aden, founder of Amin ambulances, told Reuters. The Horn of Africa country has been riven by conflict since 1991, when clan warlords overthrew dictator Siad Barre and then turned on each other.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the blast. Al Qaeda-linked Islamist group al Shabaab regularly carries out such attacks in an attempt to undermine the government, which is backed by the United Nations and African Union troops. Al Shabaab has also carried out attacks in east African countries such as Kenya and Uganda. The most deadly attack blamed on al Shabaab was in October 2017 when a bomb-laden truck exploded next to a fuel tanker in Mogadishu, creating a storm of fire that killed nearly 600 people.

truck bombing in Mogadishu

The group has sometimes not claimed responsibility for attacks that provoked a big public backlash, such as a 2009 suicide bombing of a graduation ceremony for medical students. After the sound of Saturday’s huge blast at the Ex-Control checkpoint, 55-year-old Sabdow Ali, who lives nearby, said he left his house and counted at least 13 people dead. Dozens of injured people were screaming for help but the police immediately opened fire and I rushed back to my house,” he told Reuters.

The injured were transported to Medina Hospital, where a Reuters witness saw dozens arriving by ambulance from the scene. Speaking to reporters at the blast site, Mogadishu Mayor Omar Muhamoud said the government confirmed at least 90 civilians, mostly students, had been injured in the explosion. Police officials were not immediately available for comment on casualty numbers.

In other news – Babes Wodumo’s most hilarious moments of 2019

It’s safe to say 2019 has seen Babes Wodumo fall from grace – at least when it comes to her personal life She’s been hit by scandal after scandal and her name has been dragged through the mud over her doings throughout the year. And it doesn’t look like she’s done just yet.

Mampintsha

Take a look at Babes’ most bizarre moments of 2019. Read more

Source: eNCA