Mogadishu, Mar 6 (IANS): At least 10 people were killed and 30 others injured in a suicide car bombing outside a popular restaurant in the Somalian capital of Mogadishu, a police official said.

Those injured in the attack that targeted the Lul Yemeni restaurant near the seaport on Friday evening are mainly civilians, Xinhua news agency quoted the official as saying.

Another official said that the casualties could be higher as the blast caused the destruction of nearby buildings.

Witnesses said they heard a huge blast near the popular restaurant which was earlier targeted by a militant group in August 2020.

"There was a huge blast and we learnt that many people were killed in the blast. Heavily armed forces arrived at the scene and cordoned off the area," a witness said.

Another witness said a plume of black smoke could be seen billowing from the scene amid heavy gunfire between the security forces and terrorists.

"The blast was so huge that a house near the scene collapsed but there are efforts to rescue those still underneath the rubble."

No group has claimed responsibility yet.

This is the second suicide bombing in the Somalian capital this year.

On January 31, at least five people were killed and several others injured in a suicide car bombing outside the Afrik Hotel, which is frequented by government officials.

The Al-Shahab terror group, which is fighting to overthrow the internationally-backed government, had claimed responsibility for the attack.