Over 231 killed in deadly Mogadishu bomb blast

Mogadishu: The death toll from the most powerful bomb blast witnessed in Somalia’s capital rose to 231 with more than 275 injured, making it the deadliest single attack ever in this Horn of Africa nation, senator Abshir Abdi Ahmed said on Sunday.

Many of the bodies in mortuaries had not yet been identified, he said. Officials feared the toll would continue to climb from Saturday’s truck bomb that targeted a busy street near key ministries.

Angry protesters gathered near the scene of the attack as Somalia’s government blamed the Al Qaida-linked al-Shabab extremist group for what it called a “national disaster.”

Doctors struggled to assist horrifically wounded victims, many burned beyond recognition. “The hospital is overwhelmed by both dead and wounded,” said Dr Mohamed Yusuf, the director of Medina hospital. “This is really horrendous, unlike any other time in the past.”