Somalia truck bombing toll over 300 as funerals continue

MOGADISHU: The death toll from a truck bombing in Somalia’s capital has risen above 300, the director of an ambulance service said Monday.

More people died of their wounds in the past few hours, said Dr. Abdulkadir Adam of Aamin Ambulance service. Funerals have begun, and the government said the death toll is expected to rise in what has become one of the world’s worst attacks in years.

Saturday’s truck bombing targeted a crowded street in Mogadishu, and about 300 others were injured, many with horrific burns. Somalia’s government is blaming the Al-Qaeda-linked Al-Shabab, Africa’s deadliest extremist group, which has not commented.

More than 70 critically injured people were airlifted to Turkey for treatment on Monday as international aid began to arrive, officials said. Nervous relatives stood on the tarmac at the airport, praying for the recovery of their loved ones.

Overwhelmed hospitals in Mogadishu have struggled to assist other badly wounded victims, many burned beyond recognition. Exhausted doctors struggled to keep their eyes open as the screams from victims or newly bereaved families echoed in the halls.

In addition to Turkey, Kenya and Ethiopia have offered to send medical aid in response to what Somali government has called a “national disaster,” said Information Minister Abdirahman Osman.

Mogadishu, a city long accustomed to deadly bombings by Al-Shabab, was stunned by the force of Saturday’s blast. The explosion shattered hopes of recovery in an impoverished country left fragile by decades of conflict, and it again raised doubts over the government’s ability to secure the seaside city of more than 2 million people.