The death toll from two bomb attacks in Mogadishu has risen to 85, making it the worst ever suicide bombing in the Somali capital.
The truck bomb exploded outside a hotel at a busy junction in Somalia's capital Mogadishu Photo: AFP
Dozens more were wounded when a lorry packed with explosives detonated near the entrance of a hotel.
Police say two people were killed in a second bomb attack in the Madina district of the city.
It is not clear who staged the attacks. Mogadishu is a regular target for the al-Qaeda linked al-Shabab group, which is battling the government.
After the first blast, police captain Mohamed Hussein said: "It was a truck bomb. There are casualties but we do not know the exact amount as the scene is still burning."
Witnesses said they believed dozens of people were dead.
"The death toll will surely rise," polica major Siyad Farah said.
"We are still busy transporting casualties."
The first explosion on Saturday was in the city's K5 Junction area, which is lined with government offices.
A BBC Somali reporter at the scene said the Safari Hotel had collapsed, with people thought to be trapped under the rubble.
Mogadishu resident Muhidin Ali told news agency AFP it was "the biggest blast I have ever witnessed, it destroyed the whole area".
A suspect had been caught on suspicion of planting explosives in relation to the second explosion, local police said.
-BBC/Reuters
