Twenty killed in Mogadishu bomb carnage
Monday, 4 August 2008
MOGADISHU, August 3 (AFP): A roadside bomb ripped through a group of female street cleaners in Mogadishu Sunday, killing at least 20 civilians and wounding dozens, most of then women, witnesses and medical sources told AFP.
The explosion went off in the southern K4 neighbourhood as dozens of women supported by local NGOs gathered to sweep the area, leaving scenes of carnage in the street.
"They were cleaning the street when this huge explosion rocked the entire neighbourhood. I counted 15 bodies, most of them are women who were torn to pieces," eyewitness Hasan Abdi Mohamed said. Mohamed said the explosion wounded around 40 people.
The blast was one of the deadliest incidents to hit civilians in the restive. Somali capital in weeks and local residents rushed to help the wounded. "The number of casualties is increasing," said Ali Hasan Adan, another witness.
"There are about 15 dead at the moment and a number of wounded that I cannot estimate," he said. "There is blood everywhere, dead and wounded people strewn across the street."
"This is a tragedy, I have never seen such carnage. From what I can see, they are all women who were cleaning the area."
At the city's main Madina hospital, Doctor Dahir Mohamed Mohamoudb told AFP that 47 wounded were admitted, five of whom died of their injuries, bringing the total death toll to 20.
"We received 47 civilians who were injured in the blast and so far five have died in the hospital, three of them women," said Mohamoud, one of the hospital's directors. "It's the largest number of civilians we have received from one incident in weeks," he added.
The explosion went off in the southern K4 neighbourhood as dozens of women supported by local NGOs gathered to sweep the area, leaving scenes of carnage in the street.
"They were cleaning the street when this huge explosion rocked the entire neighbourhood. I counted 15 bodies, most of them are women who were torn to pieces," eyewitness Hasan Abdi Mohamed said. Mohamed said the explosion wounded around 40 people.
The blast was one of the deadliest incidents to hit civilians in the restive. Somali capital in weeks and local residents rushed to help the wounded. "The number of casualties is increasing," said Ali Hasan Adan, another witness.
"There are about 15 dead at the moment and a number of wounded that I cannot estimate," he said. "There is blood everywhere, dead and wounded people strewn across the street."
"This is a tragedy, I have never seen such carnage. From what I can see, they are all women who were cleaning the area."
At the city's main Madina hospital, Doctor Dahir Mohamed Mohamoudb told AFP that 47 wounded were admitted, five of whom died of their injuries, bringing the total death toll to 20.
"We received 47 civilians who were injured in the blast and so far five have died in the hospital, three of them women," said Mohamoud, one of the hospital's directors. "It's the largest number of civilians we have received from one incident in weeks," he added.