A group of people look at the debris and destruction at a cafe in Mogadishu on July 15, 2024 following a car bomb blast |Photo Courtesy AFP|
At least five people have been reported dead while twenty others wounded after a car bomb exploded outside a popular cafe packed with football fans in the Somali capital, Mogadishu.
Morning aftermath of bombing targeting busy café in the Somali capital on Jul. 15, 2024 | video courtesy, Africanews|
According to Agence France Presse (AFP) news agency, people were watching the European football final between Spain and England on a screen inside the café in the Somali capital when a car loaded with explosives blew up outside.
One of the staff members who was at the coffee shop said that customers who were inside the cafe during the Sunday bombing survived
“We have confirmed five deaths so far and twenty others wounded. Most of the casualties were among those who were outside. Fortunately, everyone inside survived, but there was extensive damage to vehicles and properties,” Mohamud Salad said.
Another witness told the AFP news agency that some people in the cafe were able to escape by clambering up ladders at the back and jumping out over the wall.
The reports from eyewitnesses were upheld by a spokesman for Somali police who confirmed at least 20 people were injured.
The explosion also destroyed a number of cars and damaged several buildings.
Al-Shabab, part of the al-Qaeda group, reportedly said it was targeting a place where security and government workers meet at night.
The bombed area is close to Villa Somalia, the official presidential residence.
Jihadist group has carried out numerous bombings in the city and other parts of Somalia over the last 17 years.
This comes at a time the Somali government is intensifying the fight against the group, which still controls large parts of the country.