Somalian police have confirmed 32 people have been killed in a terror attack on a beach hotel.
They said another 63 people were wounded in the assault in the country’s capital Mogadishu on Friday evening.
Police spokesperson Major Abdifatah Adan Hassa told journalists one soldier was killed in the attack and the rest of the victims were civilians. Another soldier was also wounded in the attack, Hassan said. Witnesses reported an explosion followed by gunfire. Al-Qaida's East Africa affiliate, al-Shabab, said on its radio that its fighters carried out the attack.
Lido Beach, a popular area in Mogadishu, is bustling on Friday nights as Somalis enjoy their weekend. A witness, Mohamud Moalim, told the Associated Press he saw an attacker wearing an explosive vest moments before the man "blew himself up next to the beach-view hotel." Moalim said some of his friends who were with him at the hotel were killed and others were wounded. Another witness, Abdisalam Adam, told AP he "saw many people lying on the ground" and had helped take some wounded people to the hospital.
Hassan Farah, a survivor, described the shock as the explosion shattered a peaceful evening.
"I was in the restaurant sipping coffee and having a good chat with friends when I saw a big man running, in a second there was something like lightening and a huge blast," he told Reuters.
"We were covered with smoke. Inside and outside the restaurant many people were lying on the floor while others were bleeding and crying."
Videos posted on X showed bodies lying on the beach in the dark, and people running to safety.
Five other attackers and the suicide bomber are believed to be among the dead.
The Lido Beach area has in the past been targeted by militants allied to al-Shabab. The most recent attack last year killed nine people.
The more recent attack is the deadliest in the Horn of Africa country since twin car bombs detonated near a busy market intersection in October 2022 killing at least 100 people and wounding 300 others.
That was also claimed by al Shabaab. who controlled a vast area of Somalia before being pushed back in government counteroffensives since 2022.
However, the militants remain capable of launching significant attacks on government, commercial, and military targets.
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