Death toll from suicide bombing at Somalia beach rises to 37

MOGADISHU, Somalia

The death toll from a suicide bombing late last week on a crowded beach in the Lido area of the Somali capital Mogadishu rose to 37 on Sunday.

“As of now, the number of people killed in the heinous attack stands at 37, while nearly 70 others were wounded,” said Ahmed Abdi, a police officer in Mogadishu who spoke by phone to Anadolu.

He said an investigation into the attack is underway, while the government has named a ministerial committee tasked with coordinating the emergency response and support for the wounded.

Somali Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre, who visited Recep Tayyip Erdogan Hospital in the capital, said security officials and soldiers in charge of the area where the attack took place were arrested due to negligence.

“Rest assured, we are taking strict action against those responsible,” Barre said in a brief statement on X.

Barre did not elaborate further on how many soldiers and officials were arrested.

Lido Beach is frequented by civilians, security officials and businesspeople.

The Al-Qaeda-affiliated al-Shabaab terrorist group claimed responsibility for the attack.

The blast was one of the deadliest terrorist attacks so far this year in Somalia, which has been plagued by insecurity for years, with the main threats emanating from al-Shabaab and the Daesh/ISIS terror groups.

Since 2007, al-Shabaab has been fighting the Somali government and the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) -- a multidimensional mission authorized by the African Union and mandated by the UN Security Council.

Al-Shabaab has stepped up attacks since Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud declared an "all-out war" on the group.