Five killed in Somalia car bomb: Medics

At least five people were killed and 25 were wounded on Thursday when a car bomb exploded close to a major hotel in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia, medics said.

"Our teams have collected five dead bodies and 25 wounded people," Abdukadir Abdirahman, director of the Aamin Ambulance service, told AFP.

He warned that the tally could rise.

"This is not the final toll," Abdirahman said.

"The teams are still working."

It was not immediatly clear if the car, which had been laden with explosives, was blown up by a suicide bomber. There was also heavy gunfire after the blast.

"There was a huge car bomb blast along the Maka Al-Mukarama road," said police officer Mohamed Farah.

"It destroyed many businesses and vehicles."

Witnesses described how the blast ripped through one of the busiest streets in the seaside capital.

At the time of the attack in the early evening, the street was filled with people relaxing after a day at work.

"The whole area was on flames, and I could see the ambulances ..