MOGADISHU: A car bomb in a busy street in the centre of Somalia's capital Mogadishu killed at least 20 people on Saturday and injured several others, police said.

The blast, in the city's K5 Junction which is lined with government offices, hotels, and restaurants, destroyed several buildings and set dozens of vehicles on fire.

"We know that at least 20 civilians are dead while dozens of others are wounded," said Abdullahi Nur, a police officer who was in the area.

"The death toll will surely rise. We are still busy transporting casualties," he said, adding that there were bodies under the rubble.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility, although the Islamist al Shabaab group has carried out regular attacks

The al Qaeda-allied group is waging an insurgency to topple the weak UN-backed government and its African Union allies and impose its own strict interpretation of Islam.

They frequently launch gun, grenade and bomb attacks in Mogadishu and other regions controlled by the federal government.

But in recent years, the militants have lost most territory under their control to African Union peacekeepers and government troops.

UPDATED

MOGADISHU: A car bomb exploded on a busy street in the centre of Somalia's capital Mogadishu on Saturday, causing an unknown number of casualties, police said.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility, although the Islamist al Shabaab group has carried out regular attacks.

"It was a truck bomb. It exploded at the K5 Junction," said Mohamed Hussein, a police officer, referring to an area in the capital that is lined with government offices, hotels, restaurants and shops.

"There are casualties but we do not know the exact amount as the scene is still burning," he told Reuters.

The al Qaeda-allied al Shabaab group is waging an insurgency to topple the weak UN-backed government and its African Union allies and impose its own strict interpretation of Islam.

In recent years, the militants have lost most territory under their control to African Union peacekeepers and government troops.

But they frequently launch deadly gun, grenade and bomb attacks in Mogadishu and other regions controlled by the federal government. Many attacks are aimed at military bases but some also target civilians.