37 DEAD, 217 INJURED IN AL-SHABAAB ATTACK AT MOGADISHU’S LIDO BEACH
Death toll from Al Shabaab attack on Mogadishu’s Lido Beach has risen to 37 WITH 21è injuries, per Somalia Health Ministry;
The suicide bomber and five gunmen attacked around 10 pm among hundreds of beachgoers. Al-Shabaab militant group has claimed responsibility for the attack on its radio station. Not long after the attack, the hospitals in Mogadishu reported that they were receiving unidentified bodies and injured people, some whom no relatives had come for their rescue.
People, on their part, hurried to various hospitals, including Digfer Hospital, currently called Erdogan Hospital, to seek their family members. A loudspeaker at the gate of the hospital called out the names of the injured to assist in identification.
Eyewitness Mohamud Maalin told the media the gunmen were shooting indiscriminately before security forces arrived. He said he saw one attacker with an explosive vest detonate close to the beach-view hotel. After the explosion, the gunmen moved on to a nearby restaurant and entertainment venue. Security forces responded swiftly and have killed all the attackers, state media reported.
It has been such a massive attack that the health system in Mogadishu has been completely overstretched. Hospitals have appealed for blood donations to treat the many injured. World leaders have sent messages of condolence, and former President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo said that he condemned the attack on public places, which calls for collective support to the wounded and bereaved. Ex-Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire has also sent out condolences on social media, sympathizing with the families and friends of the victims.
The government of Egypt, also building on already building diplomatic relations with Somalia, has joined the long list of nations condemning the act. A statement was issued by Egypt’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, extending sincere condolences to the Somali government and the Somali people, as well as to the families affected by the tragedy.
The attack on Lido Beach has thrown the Somali capital into mourning, with families desperately searching for missing loved ones and a health system stretched to the breaking point.
