Truck bomb in Somalia's capital kills at least 73

A truck bomb exploded at a busy security checkpoint in Somalia's capital Saturday morning, killing at least 73 people, authorities said. Eyewitness Mohamed Abdi Hakim described hearing a huge blast and seeing many bodies on the ground.

Omar Mohamud Mohamed, the Mayor of Mogadishu, said most of the victims appeared to be students. More than 90 people were injured, he added.

It was one of the deadliest attacks in Mogadishu in recent memory. The death toll was likely to rise as scores of people were rushed to hospitals.

Police said the dead included two Turkish nationals. Officials said the blast targeted a tax collection center during the morning rush hour as Somalia returned to work after its weekend.

Images from the scene showed the mangled frames of vehicles and bodies lying on the ground. A large black plume of smoke rose above the capital. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast. The al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab often carries out such attacks.

The extremist group was pushed out of Mogadishu several years ago but continues to target high-profile areas such as checkpoints and hotels in the seaside city.

Al-Shabab was blamed for a devastating truck bombing in Mogadishu in October 2017 that killed more than 500 people.