At least eight people were killed and 28 others injured in an explosion on a popular beach in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu late Friday evening, an ambulance service said. Somalia’s state media has blamed the terrorist group al-Shabab for the attack.
Amin Ambulance Director Dr. Abdikadir Abdirahman gave the number of casualties and said that the death toll could rise.
In addition, five al Shabaab attackers were killed by security forces, while a sixth attacker blew himself up during the attack, state news agency SONA said.
Al Qaeda-linked al Shabab, which has carried out similar attacks in the past, did not immediately claim responsibility for the attack.
Former Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire said on his X account that the explosion occurred when people were swimming at the Lido beach.
He added, “The fact that the terrorist attack occurred on the same night when the beach is most crowded shows the terrorists’ hostility toward the Somali people.”
Videos posted on X showed bodies lying on the beach in the dark as people ran to safer places.
Al Shabaab controlled a vast swathe of Somalia before being pushed back by government counter-attacks since 2022. However, the militants remain capable of carrying out major attacks on government, commercial and military targets.