The number killed in twin bombings in the Somali capital Mogadishu over the weekend has risen to more than 300, says the head of the city's ambulance service.
Somali security officers patrol on the scene of the explosion of a truck bomb in the centre of Mogadishu. Photo: AFP
"We have confirmed 300 people died in the blast. The death toll will still be higher because some people are still missing," Abdikadir Abdirahman, the director of Amin ambulances, told Reuters on Monday.
Hundreds more were wounded when a lorry packed with explosives detonated near the entrance of a hotel.
It is the deadliest terror attack in Somalia since the Islamist al-Shabab group launched its insurgency in 2007.
It is not clear who staged the bombing, but Mogadishu is a target for al-Shabab militants battling the government.
President Mohamed Abdullahi "Farmajo" Mohamed has declared three days of mourning for the victims of the blast.
Local media reported families gathering in the area on Sunday morning, looking for missing loved ones amid the ruins of one of the largest bombs ever to strike the city.
Officials also confirmed that two people were killed in a second bomb attack in the Madina district of the city.
An eyewitness, local resident Muhidin Ali, told news agency AFP it was "the biggest blast I have ever witnessed, it destroyed the whole area".
The director of the Madina Hospital, Mohamed Yusuf Hassan, said he was shocked by the scale of the attack.
"Seventy-two wounded people were admitted to the hospital and 25 of them are in very serious condition. Others lost their hands and legs at the scene.
"What happened yesterday was incredible, I have never seen such a thing before, and countless people lost their lives. Corpses were burned beyond recognition."
In a statement, the US Mission to Somalia said: "Such cowardly attacks reinvigorate the commitment of the United States to assist our Somali and African Union partners to combat the scourge of terrorism."
UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said: "My thoughts are with families of the victims, and the government and people of Somalia at this difficult time.
"Those responsible have shown no regard for human life or the suffering of the Somali people. The UK will continue to support Somalia in the fight against terrorism."
- BBC