'Many dead' as two car bombs explode near Mogadishu hotel

At least ten people have been killed in twin bombings in the Somali capital, with many fearing the death toll is likely to rise.

MENA

2 min read

The New Arab & agencies

28 October, 2017

The attack comes two weeks after Somalia's deadliest attack ever [AFP]

A car packed with explosives blew up outside a hotel in Somalia's capital city on Saturday as a minibus also exploded at a nearby junction, causing casualties, police said.

Witnesses have reported "many dead bodies" at the site and comes just weeks after a huge bombing which killed hundreds of civilians in Mogadishu.

"A car loaded with explosives went off at the entrance of Nasa Hablod Hotel and there is gunfire," police official Ibrahim Mohamed said, saying the attack on Mogadishu looked like a coordinated attack.

"There was another minibus loaded with explosives which went off a nearby intersection," he said, confirming there were casualties but without giving an initial number.

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At least ten people are suspected dead, with 11 injured according to local sources.

This has come two weeks after the country's "deadliest attack" when a truck bomb killed hundereds of people in Mogadishu.

At least 350 people were killed when a truck bomb exploded outside the Safari Hotel at the K5 intersection which is lined with government offices restaurants. Two hours later, a separate blast struck the Medina district.

Last Saturday, Somalia's president urged troops to prepare for a "state of war" against the al-Qaeda aligned al-Shabab extremist group blamed for the attack.