Blast in Somalia kills 20 in Mogadishu market place

A car bomb blast at a marketplace Somalia's capital has killed at least 20 people and injured 50 others, said a local Somali official.

The blast by a car bomb parked near a restaurant went off at a busy time when shoppers and traders were gathered inside the market, said district commissioner Ahmed Abdulle. The powerful blast was the first major attack since Somalia's new president was elected on February 8.

"Someone had parked the car here and left before it was detonated," said Mohamed Haji, a butcher who suffered shrapnel wounds, pointing his finger at a clothes shop devastated by the blast. Pieces of wood and metal sheets on the ground were all that remained of the shop.