At least 5 killed, 25 wounded in Somalia suicide blast

MOGADISHU, Somalia

At least five people were killed and more than 25 wounded when a suicide car bomb targeted a hotel in Somali capital Mogadishu Thursday, officials said.

”A suicide car bomb blast targeted the Maka al-Mukarama hotel,” police captain Abdukadir Ali told Anadolu Agency. “It’s very earlier to say how many people have been killed as gunfire is still going on the area.”

The attack was one of the biggest in the capital in two years and caused disruptions, he added. Aamin Ambulance Service confirmed the casualty figures to Anadolu Agency.
“What we can confirm to you is that at five people were killed more 25 others wounded and we have rushed them to hospitals for treatment,” the service said.

“We increased the number of our rescue teams and ambulances operating in the scene to respond quickly to calls from the injured civilians at Maka Mukarama”, the only free ambulance service in Mogadishu said in a statement on Twitter.

Al-Qaeda affiliated group al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attack and said it attacked Maka al-Mukarama hotel and its fighters are in the hotel.