Over 30 dead in terror attack at beach

Suicide bombers and armed perpetrators have taken the lives of at least 37 civilians in an attack on a popular beach strip in Somalia's capital Mogadishu, according to the police. According to reports, one of the dead is said to be from Sweden.

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Over 30 dead in terror attack at beach
Photo: Farah Abdi Warsameh/AP/TT

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"The total number of confirmed dead is 37," says Somalia's Health Minister Ali Haji Adam in a press release on Saturday evening.

Eleven people are being treated in intensive care units, while 64 people are still being treated in hospitals for injuries, and 137 people with lighter injuries have been discharged after receiving treatment.

According to Ekot's and SVT's sources, one of the dead is a Swedish citizen.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs investigates

TT has sought UD without result. To Aftonbladet, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs writes that "the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has taken note of media reports that a person from Sweden is said to have died in Mogadishu. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the embassy in Nairobi are investigating the reports."

The terrorist organization al-Shabaab is suspected of the attack, which took place on Friday evening. A police officer tells the news agency AFP that the perpetrators fired indiscriminately at civilians.

When we were enjoying our time on the beach, a suicide bomber blew himself up among the crowds on the beach. Then we could see many dead, injured, and shocked people scattered on the ground, says witness Omar Elmi to AFP.

Previous terrorist attacks

Security forces are reported to have killed five of the attackers. A sixth perpetrator took his own life. Medical personnel took care of the injured on site, according to the state news agency Sonna.

The beach area Lido is popular among businessmen and government officials and has been targeted in previous terrorist attacks.

The Islamist extremist group al-Shabaab has waged a bloody insurgency against Somalia's government for over 17 years and has carried out several attacks in the country.

In July, five people were killed when a car bomb exploded in the capital, in an attack attributed to the extremist group. In the spring, three people died and 27 were injured when al-Shabaab besieged a hotel in Mogadishu for several hours.

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By TTEnglish edition by Sweden Herald, adapted for local and international readers

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