Suicide bomb targets Mogadishu hotel, at least 10 killed

A suicide car bombing targeting a hotel in Mogadishu by the Islamist group Al Shabaab on Thursday killed at least 10 people and destroyed buildings in the Somali capital's busiest street, according to police.

It was one of the heaviest blasts to have hit the capital city in recent days.

The bombing took place in a business center in Maka Al Mukaram street which has hotels, shops and restaurants, said police major Mohamed Hussein.

Over ten people died. A hotel is burning and other buildings were ruined by the blast. Twenty injured people were carried out. We believe more dead bodies are in the ruined buildings, said police major Abdullahi Ali.

We targeted and stormed Hotel Maka Al Mukaram. We are still inside it, said Abdiasis Abu Musab, Al Shabaab's military spokesperson.

Ali said he did not believe the militants were inside the hotel. But anything can happen because it is dark in some of the buildings because the blast cut the electric wires, he said.

Stinking gases from the blast reached several kilometers away from the scene.

(REUTERS)