13 April 2018•Update: 13 April 2018
By Mohammed Dhaysane
MOGADISHU, Somalia
At least five people were killed and more than 10 injured Thursday when a blast rocked a football stadium in the town of Barawe in Somalia's lower Shabelle region.
Barawe District Deputy Commissioner Bashir Mohamed Yusuf told local media the explosion was from a remote-controlled landmine.
"The explosion targeted local footballers and football fans. What we can confirm is that five people were killed and more than 10 others were wounded," Yusuf said.
The wounded were rushed to the district hospital and private medical centers for treatment, he added.
Three local footballers were among the dead, according to local media.
The bomb went off while a match between local teams Elman and SYL was under way.
The Somali-based insurgent group al-Shabaab claimed responsibly for the attack in an online statement.
Barawe is a coastal town located 179 kilometers (111 miles) southwest of the Somali capital Mogadishu.
Thursday’s explosion comes six days after a double car bomb blast in Mogadishu that killed at least three people.
Last October, at least 300 people died in a double car bombing in Mogadishu, the deadliest attack in modern Somali history.
