Somali officials say dozens of people were killed and wounded when a huge car bomb exploded at a busy junction on the southwestern side of Mogadishu.
Witnesses say the blast occurred at a security checkpoint at an intersection used by vehicles leaving and entering Mogadishu from Afgoye town. An officer said it was a truck bomb.
Early reports indicated the vehicle filled with explosives was targeting a busy taxation office at the junction where vehicles stop to pay their road taxes.
A witness who went to the scene told VOA Somali that he saw blood and pieces of bodies scattered throughout the scene.
“It’s hard to quantify, but many people died,” he said.
A senior government official said he was told a significant number of people were killed. Pictures taken show at least 15 dead bodies lying on the ground.
