Toll rises in Somali raid

AT least 25 people have been killed and another 30 were injured when two car bombs exploded and gunmen stormed a hotel in the Somali capital of Mogadishu.

Following the weekend blasts, gunmen laid siege to the Nasa-Ha-blood hotel.

More than 30 people, including a government minister and a prominent cleric, were eventually rescued, policeman Mohamed Dahir said.

During the 10-hour siege, one of the militants blew himself up causing unknown casualties among security forces, Dahir said.