Hope fades for scores still missing in Somalia bomb attack

MOGADISHU: Anguished families scoured Somalia’s capital in search of scores still missing from Saturday’s bomb blast that killed more than 300 people in one of the world’s deadliest attacks in years.

Sitting outside a hospital mortuary, Hodan Ali quietly looked for her missing brother by showing people his photo on the screen of her mobile phone.

Fifty- year- old taxi driver Abdiqadir Ali was last seen on Saturday on his way to a hotel to pick up a client just before the massive explosion on a busy street.

Ali, a mother of four, said she had visited most of Mogadishu’s hospitals but neither she nor other family members found any sign of him.

“I am about to give up,” she said with tears running over her veil.

“Nothing is more painful than not knowing the whereabouts of your loved ones, whether alive or death.”

Across Mogadishu, Somalia’s flag flew at half-mast, marking three days of national mourning. Mayor Thabit Abdi called for a citywide march yesterday in honour of the victims – and as a show of defiance.

“We must liberate this city which is awash with graves,” Abdi said.

The death toll of 302 is expected to rise. Nearly 70 people are missing, based on accounts from relatives, said police Capt Mohamed Hussein.

“My son has gone missing since the day of the attack. I would be very lucky if I had a portion of his body,” Abdulkadir Mohamud said, breaking down in tears. “I do not have even his flesh. Please bring my son back.”

With nearly 400 people wounded, with some burned beyond recognition, international aid arrived to help overwhelmed hospitals. — AP