Somalia police confirm 32 died in Al-Shabaab's Lido Beach attack
By Abdirahman Khalif |
Hospitals in Mogadishu have made urgent appeals for blood donations due to the high number of injured people.
Somalia's police have confirmed that an attack at Lido Beach in Mogadishu on Friday night resulted in 32 fatalities and 63 injuries.
Abdifatah Adan, the police spokesperson, while addressing the media on Saturday, confirmed the casualties.
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A suicide bomber and five gunmen orchestrated the attack, targeting hundreds of beachgoers around 10 pm. The militant group Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the assault through their radio station.
In the aftermath, hospitals in Mogadishu reported receiving numerous unidentified bodies and injured individuals, as no relatives had come to claim them.
Meanwhile, many people gathered at various hospitals, including Digfer Hospital (Erdogan Hospital), in search of their missing relatives.
To assist in identifying the victims, a person at the hospital's gate read the names of the wounded over a loudspeaker.
Eyewitness Mohamud Maalin told AFP that the gunmen were indiscriminately shooting people before security forces arrived.
Maalin said he initially saw an attacker wearing an explosive vest moments before the man "blew himself up next to the beach-view hotel."
Al-Shabaab soldiers sit outside a building on the streets of Dayniile district in Southern Mogadishu (Photo: Reuters)
Following the explosion, five gunmen stormed a nearby restaurant and an entertainment venue. Security forces responded swiftly and eliminated all the gunmen involved in the attack, as reported by the state's media.
Hospitals in Mogadishu have made urgent appeals for blood donations due to the high number of injured people.
Several leaders, including former President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo, sent their condolences. Farmajo condemned the targeting of public recreation areas by Al-Shabaab, describing their actions as highlighting their enmity and lack of faith.
"In light of the immense suffering inflicted upon our people tonight, it is imperative that we join hands and assist the wounded and the families of the martyrs while supporting the health and security sectors," he said in a statement.
Former Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire also expressed his condolences on X (formerly Twitter), extending his deepest sympathies to the families, relatives, and friends of those killed.
The government of Egypt, which has recently been strengthening its diplomatic ties with Somalia, condemned the attack.
In a statement by the Foreign Ministry on Saturday, Egypt extended its sincere condolences to the Somali government, the Somali people, and the victims' families.
The attack at Lido Beach has left the Somali capital in mourning, with families struggling to locate their loved ones and the healthcare system under strain.
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