Seventy-three people died in a car bombing on Saturday morning in Mogadishu, capital of Somalia.
Mohamed Yusuf, head of the Medina Hospital, told reporters that some 54 injured victims were brought to the hospital for treatment.
Witnesses spoke of a scene of devastation after a truck at a checkpoint exploded in a busy area of the city.
Although there has been no claim of responsibility so far, Al-Shabab fighters in Somalia remain “a potent threat” to regional peace.
UN experts say that Al-Shabab are now manufacturing home-made explosives, expanding their revenue sources and infiltrating government institutions.
After three decades of civil war, extremist attacks and famine, Somalia established a functioning transitional government in 2012 and has since been working to rebuild stability.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said that the country must still tackle violent extremism, terrorism, armed conflict, political instability and corruption.
