Over 70 people have so far been confirmed dead and close to 100 others injured as the death toll in the Ex-Control truck bombing rises.
Medina Hospital confirmed it has received 73 bodies from the scene of the bombing which rocked Ex-Control area in the outskirts od the capital Mogadishu Saturday morning.
The hospital also noted it had received 52 people who were injured. By 1pm, Digfer Hospital confirmed it had three bodies and received 37 people for treatment.
Authorities said most of the casualties were students from Banaadir University who were traveling in a minivan to school. The incident comes barely two months after the country marked ten years since another terrorist attack hit a graduation ceremony where medical students from Banaadir University were graduating. About 20 students, teachers and three government ministers were killed.
Mogadishu mayor Omar Filish earlier told journalists the truck loaded with explosives was heading to the city centre but was blocked by security forces. The casualties would have been much higher if the truck made way into the city given the concentration of people.
The casualties are expected to rise as reports from other hospitals in the city continue to file in. Like it did in October 2017 when a truck bomb killed over 600 people in Mogadishu, Al-Shabaab has gone mute.
