A car bomb ripped through a government compound in Mogadishu yesterday, killing at least 70 in the deadliest attack by Somalia’s Shebab since they launched their insurgency almost five years ago.

Witnesses described the carnage as the worst they had seen in Mogadishu since Somalia plunged into chaos two decades ago and said the devastation resembled scenes from World War II.

Some 150 people have been injured in the suicide attack and have been admitted to the city’s Medina Hospital, the International Committee of the Red Cross said yesterday.

“Among the casualties were at least five women and nine children. All had been in the area where the bomb exploded, close to a government building in the central part of the city,” said the relief agency.

“Many suffered burns and fractures. A small number were released shortly after their admission. The suicide bomber rammed his explosives-laden vehicle into the compound housing four ministries at a strategic crossroads, two months after the Al Qaeda-linked rebels dismantled all their positions in the capital.”