Dozens killed by car bomb in Somali capital

Dozens of people were killed when a car bomb exploded at a security checkpoint in the Somali capital of Mogadishu, authorities said.

The blast was one of the deadliest attacks in the recent history of the African nation.

Dr. Mohamed Yusuf, director of Madina Hospital, told the Associated Press that at least 73 people had died in the attack based on the number of bodies the hospital had received.

The attack, which targeted a tax collection center, occurred during the morning rush hour, Capt. Mohamed Hussein told the AP.

Photos of the scene showed the charred and twisted remains of several vehicles that had been damaged in the blast.

Among the wounded were children and university students, Hussein said.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast, the AP reported, although Somalia has been rocked by attacks by the Islamist terrorist group al-Shabab.

In July, al-Shabab claimed responsibility for an attack in Somalia's port city of Kismayo that killed more than two dozen people.