Death toll hits 20 as truck bomb annihilates Mogadishu hotel

A truck, packed with explosives, detonated at the entrance of the Safari hotel, which then collapsed.

The scene of devastation after the explosion near the Safari hotel in Mogadishu
The scene of devastation after the explosion near the Safari hotel in Mogadishu

At least 20 people have been killed after a massive truck bomb explosion in Somalia's capital Mogadishu.

A truck, packed with explosives, detonated at the entrance of the Safari hotel, news reports say. The Safari Hotel is understood to have then collapsed, with people thought to be trapped in the debris.

20 people died and at least another 15 have been injured in the massive blast, described as the largest heard in Mogadishu in recent memory.

Official sources warn that the death toll could rise. Nobody has claimed responsibility for the explosion, so far.