SOMALIA : Car bomb attack at Mogadishu market kills 35, injures 40

At least 35 people were killed and more than 40 were injured when a car bomb exploded at a market on the outskirts of the Somali capital Mogadishu, local police told EFE on Sunday.


The blast, allegedly carried out by the Somali militant group al-Shabab, struck a crowd of people who had gathered for a popular market in the Wadajir district of Mogadishu.

"A big explosion at Wadajir District, #Mogadishu where Shabab #terrorists exploded a car with heavy explosives, & Somali Security investigates," said the Somali police on Twitter.

Dozens of wounded people were taken to nearby hospitals for treatment and the severity of the injuries suggested the death toll may yet rise.

Al-Shabab had yet to claim the attack.

It was the first attack of this scale since the new President Mohamed Abdullahi "Farmajo" assumed office on Feb. 16.

On the day of Farmajo's inauguration two children were killed by a mortar shell fired by al-Shabab towards the presidential palace, where the ceremony was taking place.
  [EFE/EPA]
19/2/17