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At Least 231 Killed In Massive Truck Bomb In Somali Capital

October 15, 2017

The death toll from a massive bomb attack in a busy area of Somalia's capital has risen to at least 231, making it the deadliest single attack the country has ever seen, police and health officials said.

Officials said on October 15 that the death toll could rise further as more than 275 others were wounded, some of them seriously.

A truck packed with explosives detonated on October 14 outside a hotel at a Mogadishu intersection that is lined with government offices, restaurants, and kiosks.

The death toll jumped after dozens of bodies were recovered from the rubble and some of those wounded died of the injuries they sustained in the blast.

Authorities said at least two people were also killed in a second bomb attack in the city's Madina district.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but Somalia's government blamed the Al-Qaeda-linked Al-Shabaab extremist group for the attacks.

"They don't care about the lives of Somali people -- mothers, fathers, and children," Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire said.

Information Minister Abdirahman Omar said the blast near the entrance of the Safari Hotel, which was largely destroyed, was the largest the city had ever seen.

President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed declared three days of mourning and urged Somali people to donate blood for the wounded victims.

Al-Shabaab militants are waging a campaign against the Somali government in a bid to impose a fundamentalist Islamic state.

Based on reporting by Reuters, AP, AFP, and dpa

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/somalia- truck-bomb/28796005.html

Copyright (c) 2017. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.