By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
MOGADISHU (Worthy News) – Somalia has plunged into mourning after at least 37 civilians were killed and scores injured in an explosion on a famous beach in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, in an attack the government blamed on militant Islamist group al-Shabab.
It was the deadliest attack 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.
“The overall number of the dead people we confirmed is 37,” Somali Health Minister Ali Haji Adam said in a press statement late Saturday.
In addition to the civilians killed at the beach restaurant, police spokesperson Abdifatah Aden said one soldier was killed during the assault.
Among those injured, 11 people are in intensive care units, a further 64 people remain in hospital with wounds, while 137 people with light injuries have been discharged after receiving treatment, officials said.
The assault, for which al-Shabab claimed responsibility, began late Friday when a suicide bomber detonated a device, and gunmen stormed the area, footage seen by Worthy News showed.
Survivors of Friday’s assault recalled how, following the blast, gunmen stormed onto the beach intending to “kill everyone they could, “with a graphic video shared online immediately after showing bloodied bodies on the sand.
SOMALIA FORCES END ATTACK
Somalian security forces eventually ended the attack and killed five gunmen, while a sixth member of the group “blew himself (up) at the beach,” authorities said.
Police spokesperson Abdifatah Adan Hassan said the attack demonstrated the group was not only targeting government officials and soldiers but ordinary civilians as well.
Witnesses said there were many people at the popular location when the explosion occurred, describing how gunmen then stormed the area.
“As we were enjoying our time on the beach, a suicide bomber blew himself up among crowds of people on the beach,” Omar Elmi recalled.
“Then we could see many people scattered on the ground, including dead, injured, as well as shocked people,” he said.
Witnesses said there were many people at the popular location when the explosion occurred, describing how gunmen then stormed the area.
“As we were enjoying our time on the beach, a suicide bomber blew himself up among crowds of people on the beach,” Omar Elmi recalled.
MANY PEOPLE SCATTERED, SHOCKED
“Then we could see many people scattered on the ground, including dead, injured, as well as shocked people,” he added.
Hassan Farah, a survivor, described the shock as the explosion shattered a peaceful evening.
“I was in the restaurant sipping coffee and chatting with friends when I saw a big man running. In a second, there was something like lightning and a huge blast,” he told reporters.
“We were covered with smoke. Inside and outside the restaurant, many people were lying on the floor while others were bleeding and crying.”
Later, the beach was still strewn with sandals and shoes left by people as they fled the scene.
President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre met with security agencies after the attack and drew up plans to strengthen the city’s security, the president’s office said.
The Al-Qaeda group-linked al-Shabab fighters have been waging an insurgency against Somalia’s internationally-backed federal government for more than 17 years.
They have previously targeted the Lido beach area, popular with businesspeople and government members.
Copyright 1999-2025 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
Latest News from Worthy News
A revised draft of a UN Security Council resolution outlining the “Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict” is set to be circulated by the United States for review among Security Council members, according to an exclusive report by The Jerusalem Post.
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa has declined to immediately pursue membership in the Abraham Accords, citing Israel’s control of the Golan Heights as a primary obstacle, though he suggested the Trump administration could eventually facilitate such negotiations.
French authorities have opened a formal judicial inquiry after chaos erupted during a concert by the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra in Paris, where protesters lit flares and shouted anti-Israel slogans before being subdued by audience members.
Russia’s Republic of Dagestan has become the focus of an embarrassing aviation scandal after a helicopter carrying senior defense-industry officials broke apart in mid-air and crashed — an event caught on video and widely shared online, prompting authorities to launch a criminal investigation.
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) faced an unprecedented crisis Monday after its director-general and head of news resigned amid accusations of political bias at what was once regarded as the flagship of both Britain and journalism worldwide.
President Donald Trump secured a significant diplomatic breakthrough Monday as Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa signed an agreement bringing Syria into the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, making the war-torn nation the 90th member of the U.S.-led counterterrorism alliance.
In a disappointing setback for religious freedom advocates, the U.S. Supreme Court declined without comment to hear former Kentucky county clerk Kim Davis’s appeal, leaving in place a $360,000 judgment against her for refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. The justices let stand lower court rulings that found she violated couples’ constitutional rights under the 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges decision, despite what her legal team characterizes as a conflict with her First Amendment religious liberty rights.