Somalia truck bomb: Hospital receives 73 bodies, 90+ injured

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Somalia truck bomb: Hospital receives 73 bodies, 90+ injured

MOGADISHU, Somalia (HORN OBSERVER) The management of Madina Hospital in Somalia capital says the hospital received 73 bodies after a truck bomb targeted a police checkpoint at Ex-Control on the main Mogadishu-Afgoye road on Saturday.

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A truck bomb targeted a police checkpoint at Ex-Control on the main Mogadishu-Afgoye road on Saturday, December 28, 2019. (Photo credit: Horn Observer)

MOGADISHU, Somalia (HORN OBSERVER) The management of Madina Hospital in Somalia capital says the hospital received 73 bodies after a truck bomb targeted a police checkpoint at Ex-Control on the main Mogadishu-Afgoye road on Saturday.

Dr. Mohamed Yusuf, Director of Madina Hospital said that the hospital received 73 bodies as the death toll likely to rise and 53 wounds.

"We have received 73 dead bodies who are currently at the hospital:" Dr. Mohamed Yusuf said, adding that the death likely to rise.

Several other Mogadishu hospital also received wounds and dead bodies.

The Mayor of Mogadishu, Omar Mohamed Mohamud (Filish) said the number of those injured could be more than 90.

"We are still counting the deaths but we have now seen more than 90 wounded in the blast,” the mayor said in a press conference after visiting the site of the attack.

According to eyewitnesses, the truck bomb drove towards a police checkpoint around 07.50am and exploded there. The area was busy with traffic as students heading to universities and other civilians going after their normal day’s work were affected.

"I have seen the truck bomb heading to the checkpoint. Within seconds it went off. The police officers are dead. They are beneath the walls of that building,” said a survivor Abdi Mohamed while pointing the direction of the police checkpoint.

17 police officers and 2 Turkish nationals have been confirmed to be among those killed.

No group has yet claimed the responsibility of the deadly attack.

Several hospitals in the city are now appealing for blood donation as doctors are struggling to save lives of those affected by the bombing which security analysts are described as one of the worst since October 14, 2017 truck bomb that killed nearly 1000 in the Somali capital.