Car bomb in Somali capital kills eight

A car bomb exploded on a road leading to the airport in the Somali capital Mogadishu on Wednesday, killing at least eight people, the head of the city's ambulance services said.

Mogadishu resident Mohamed Osman said the shock of the blast hit the walls and roof of a mosque he was praying in nearby.

It was not immediately clear who was responsible for the bombing.

Osman said he had seen nine bodies at the scene. Abdikadir Abdirahman, director of Aamin Ambulance service, put the death toll at eight.

Earlier, a Reuters photographer saw four bodies and four damaged cars and two motor rickshaws while Ahmed Nur, a shopkeeper nearby, said he had seen at least five bodies.

A paramedic was seen attending to at least one wounded person, Reuters photographs from the scene showed.

In the past, al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab group has taken responsibility for similar attacks.

Agencies