Chinese embassy damaged in Mogadishu hotel blast, injuries reported

MOGADISHU, July 26 -- A hotel blast in the Somali capital on Sunday has killed 15 people and injured dozens of others, sources said, adding that the Chinese Embassy in Somalia was partially damaged and that Chinese nationals are among the injured.

The Chinese Embassy in Somalia, whose offices are in the attacked Jazera hotel, said Monday that some of its injured Chinese staffers were receiving treatment, but did not give the exact number of the injured. It also said some of its rooms were also damaged in the blast.

Mogadishu police officer Abdulle Mohamed told Xinhua earlier that a suicide bomber detonated his car at the gate of the Jazera hotel, killing 15 people, most of whom were civilians.

Located near Mogadishu international airport, the six-story Jazera hotel is a luxury hotel in the Somali capital, which houses some foreign embassies and sometimes hosts high-level government meetings.

Somalia-based militant group Al-Shabaab has claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it was a revenge for the recent operation in Dinsoor and Bardhere regions of southern Somalia by the African Union and Somali forces.

The attack comes a day after the murder of a Somali lawmaker in Mogadishu on Saturday. They were among a string of insecurity incidents that hit the capital, for which Al-Shabaab has claimed responsibility.