The number of those who lost their lives in a cafe bomb blast in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu packed with football fans watching the the Euro 2024 final has risen to nine.
Witnesses described scenes of panic and chaos after the powerful blast late Sunday, with people scrambling for safety and the main entrance to the cafe destroyed by the blaze.
Mohamed Yusuf, an official from the national security agency, said nine civilians were killed and 20 others wounded in the explosion
The popular Top Coffee restaurant, which is located near the presidential palace in the centre of the city, was thronged with young men watching the final that Spain won 2-1 against England.
“There were many people inside the restaurant, most of them youth who were watching the football match… but thanks to God, most of them made their way out safely after using ladders to climb up and jump over the backside perimeter wall,” Yusuf said.
No group has claimed responsibility for the bombing, but the state-run Somali National News Agency said Sunday it was carried out by Al-Qaeda linked Al-Shabaab jihadists.
Al-Shabaab has been waging a bloody insurgency against Somalia’s fragile federal government for more than 17 years and has carried out numerous bombings in Mogadishu and elsewhere in the country.
There had been a relative lull in attacks in recent months as the government presses on with an offensive against the Islamist militants.
But on Saturday, five inmates said to be Al-Shabaab fighters were killed in a shootout with guards in an attempted jail break from the main prison in Mogadishu.
Three guards were also killed and 18 others wounded, prison officials said, after the inmates managed to get hold of weapons.
Euro 24: Death Toll In Somalia Cafe Attack Rises To 9
