At least seventy six people, mostly civilians, were killed and at least 90 were wounded in Somalia‘s capital city of Mogadishu on Saturday, when a truck bomb went off at a security checkpoint.
The huge explosion destroyed a bus packed with students from Benadir University.
There were also reports of a firefight breaking out between security forces and Islamist militants at the checkpoint before the blast.
According to Mogadishu ambulance service, at least 76 people died in the blast. Local government officials earlier reported that 50 people were killed and warned that the death toll will likely rise due to a high number of severe injuries.
At least 90 civilians have been injured, according to officials.
According to some reports, more than a dozen police officers are among the victims.
Mogadishu police said that the attackers targeted the tax collection office, located near the checkpoint.
No group has claimed responsibility for the terrorist act so far. Such attacks in Somalia are usually the work of Al-Qaeda-linked jihadist group Al-Shabaab.
