Blast sows panic among Somalis
Families hunt for missing relatives
Mogadishu – Desperate Somalis searched for news of missing loved ones yesterday after a massive truck bomb in Mogadishu killed at least 276 people and left 300 injured in the deadliest ever attack to hit the conflict-torn nation.
Residents of the Somali capital, while wearily accustomed to regular bombs and attacks by Islamist militants, have been left stunned by the monster explosion on Saturday that gutted surrounding buildings and left victims burnt beyond recognition.
A statement from the information ministry yesterday said “276 people were killed in the blast ... and 300 wounded were admitted at the different hospitals in Mogadishu”.
The government said it had set up an emergency committee to help relatives find the missing, with a crisis centre in the capital that residents can turn to.
Police official Ibrahim Mohamed said many of the victims were “burnt beyond recognition” in what he described as “the deadliest attack ever”.
Turkey sent a military plane full of medical supplies to Mogadishu, also evacuating some of the injured for treatment.
The blast occurred at a junction in Hodan, a bustling commercial district in the city’s northwest. Abdulahi Nuradin was one of many helping friends and family hunting for news of the missing.
“It has been more than 24 hours now and we don’t have any traces or information about the sister of my friend. We can assume she is dead, with her flesh somewhere among the horribly burnt dead bodies,” he said. –