Toll rises to 53 dead from bomb blasts in Somalia’s capital
Reporting from NAIROBI, Kenya — Somali hospital and police sources say the death toll from Friday’s bombings outside a hotel in Mogadishu has risen to 53 with more than 100 injured.
Capt. Mohamed Hussein, a senior Somali police officer, said many of the injured suffered horrific wounds, raising fears of more deaths. The figure given by Hussein is consistent with submissions from hospitals.
Ahmed Yusuf, a nurse at Madina hospital, said Mogadishu’s hospitals are coping to treat the influx of wounded victims who continued to come in Saturday.
Four car bombs by Islamic extremists exploded outside a hotel in the capital, Mogadishu, Friday afternoon. After the three explosions in front of the hotel, a fourth blast hit as medics attempted to rescue the injured.
Somalia’s Islamic extremist rebels, Shabab, claimed responsibility for the bombs.
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