61 killed in Somalia car bomb attack

At least 61 people have been killed and many wounded in a car bomb attack in the Somali capital Mogadishu on Saturday, police and witnesses said.

Police officer Mohamed Hussein said the blast targeted a tax collection centre during the morning rush hour.

Close to 100 wounded people, including children, were rushed to hospitals. Among them were several university students who had been travelling in a bus, Hussein said.

A large plume of black smoke rose above the capital, marking one of the deadliest attacks in Mogadishu in recent memory.

There were conflicting reports about the number of casualties. Speaking to Al Jazeera, the adviser to Mogadishu's mayor said the death toll "is above 90 at the moment".

"There are many casualties as well so the death toll is expected to rise," Hodan Ali said, adding that the explosion took place at the Ex-Control junction. _Al-Jazeera

Dhaka/AKA