MOGADISHU, Somalia — At least 37 civilians were killed and 212 injured in an explosion at a popular beach restaurant in the Somali capital Mogadishu late on Friday, the health minister said, an attack the government blamed on militant Islamist group al-Shabaab.

Ali Haji told a news conference that 11 of those injured in the attack were in a critical condition.

It was the deadliest attack in the Horn of Africa country since twin car bombs detonated near a busy market intersection in October 2022, killing at least 100 people and wounding 300 others, Reuters reported.

In addition to the civilians killed at the beach restaurant, police spokesperson Abdifatah Aden said one soldier was killed during the assault.

One of the attackers blew himself up, while three others were killed by security forces. One attacker was captured alive, Aden said.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility by the al-Shabaab, which has admitted similar attacks in the past, including the 2022 car bomb attack.

Hassan Farah, a survivor, described the shock as the explosion shattered a peaceful evening.

"I was in the restaurant sipping coffee and having a good chat with friends when I saw a big man running, in a second there was something like lightning and a huge blast," he told Reuters. "We were covered with smoke. Inside and outside the restaurant many people were lying on the floor while others were bleeding and crying."

Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre met with security agencies after the attack and drew up plans to strengthen the city's security, the president's office said in a post on X.

"The government is determined to eliminate the terrorists. The terrorists want to terrify the civilians. Let the civilians report the terrorists hiding among them," the post said.

Agencies via Xinhua