Death toll in a car bombing on Saturday morning in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, has risen to seventy-three, the head of the Medina hospital, Mohamed Yusuf, told dpa.

Some 54 injured victims were brought to the hospital for treatment, he said.

Eyewitnesses spoke of a scene of devastation after a truck at a checkpoint exploded in a busy area of the city.

Although there has been no claim of responsibility so far, Al-Shabab extremists in Somalia remain “a potent threat” to regional peace.

UN experts say that Al-Shabab are now manufacturing home-made explosives, expanding their revenue sources and infiltrating government institutions.

After three decades of civil war, extremist attacks and famine, Somalia established a functioning transitional government in 2012 and has since been working to rebuild stability.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said that the country must still tackle violent extremism, terrorism, armed conflict, political instability and corruption, dpa/NAN reported.