Somalia: Mogadishu checkpoint blast kills at least 90

Somalis salvage goods after shops were destroyed. An explosion at a busy checkpoint in Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, on Saturday killed at least 76 people and wounded dozens, an ambulance service official said, the latest in a string of deadly attacks.

A bomb-laden vehicle exploded at a checkpoint in Somalia's capital Mogadishu, killing at least 90 people including students and police officers, in one of the most deadly recent attacks in the country.

Civilians carry the dead body of a man killed in the explosion. There are more casualties and the death toll is sure to rise," said Abdikadir Abdirahman Haji Aden, founder of Aamin ambulances.

A woman reacts as her injured child is assisted at the Madina hospital. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the blast though al Qaeda-linked Islamist group al Shabaab, which is trying to topple the U.N.-backed government, regularly carries out such attacks.

A general view shows the scene of a car bomb explosion. The Horn of Africa country has been riven by conflict since 1991, when clan warlords overthrew dictator Siad Barre and then turned on each other.

Civilians assist an injured woman. After the sound of a huge blast at the Ex-Control checkpoint, 55-year-old Sabdow Ali, who lives nearby, said he left his house and counted at least 13 people dead. "Dozens of injured people were screaming for help but the police immediately opened fire and I rushed back to my house."

A man assists an injured civilian. The injured were transported to Medina Hospital, where a Reuters witness saw dozens arriving by ambulance from the scene.

A woman assists an injured civilian. Speaking to reporters at the blast site, Mogadishu Mayor Omar Muhamoud said the government confirmed at least 90 civilians, mostly students, had been injured in the explosion.

A Somali woman reacts at the scene of a car bomb explosion. The police were not reachable for comment on casualty numbers.

A soldier is seen next to the wreckage of a car.

An ambulance leaves from the scene of the car bomb explosion.

Medical personnel carry a civilian who was wounded.

Somali security assess the scene of a car bomb explosion.

Somali security assess the scene of the car bomb explosion.