Somali militants ram car bomb into hotel, killing at least 15

Record ID: 165682

  • Title: Somali militants ram car bomb into hotel, killing at least 15
  • Date: 25th January 2017
  • Summary: VARIOUS OF INJURED JOURNALIST AT THE HOSPITAL (SOUNDBITE) (Somali) SOMALI JOURNALIST, GUREY, SAYING: "I and other journalists were covering the scene of the blast when the second bomb exploded. I saw a lot of people lying on the ground dead and others wounded. The environment around the city is changed." MORE OF NURSES HELPING INJURED CASUALTIES AT HOSPITAL
  • Embargoed: 8th February 2017 11:48
  • Keywords: Somalia Mogadishu attack al-Shabaab hotel hospital wounded
  • Location: MOGADISHU, SOMALIA
  • City: MOGADISHU, SOMALIA
  • Country: Somalia
  • Topics: Bombing (non-military),Conflicts/War/Peace
  • Reuters ID: LVA00360KWY13
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Islamist militants rammed a car bomb into the gate of a hotel in Somalia's capital Mogadishu on Wednesday (January 25) and stormed inside, killing at least 15 people, government officials said.
    Gunfire rang out as fighters entered the Dayah Hotel, which is popular with politicians. A second blast shook the area shortly afterwards, injuring several journalists and others nearby.
    A police colonel said security forces eventually managed to secure the building.
    Security Minister Abdirizak Umar said the 15 dead were mostly civilians.
    "Ten civilians were killed and more than 51 others injured in the attack, we have started investigating," he said at the scene.
    Reuters television footage showed a huge flame immediately after the blast. Several cars and buildings were destroyed by the explosion.
    Some journalists were caught up in the blast. One man described the chaos from his hospital bed.
    "I and other journalists were covering the scene of the blast when the second bomb exploded. I saw a lot of people lying on the ground dead and others wounded. The environment around the city is changed," said Gurey, a journalist.
    Islamist group al Shabaab, which until 2011 controlled much of Somalia including Mogadishu, claimed responsibility for the attack.
    The insurgents often launch bomb and gun attacks in the capital in their quest to topple the Western-backed government and impose their strict interpretation of Islamic law on the nation.
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