Monday August 22, 2022
Dr. Ali Haji Adan, Somalia's federal health minister.
The Somali government has released the death toll from the Hayat hotel attack in Mogadishu. Minister Dr. Ali Haji Adan, speaking to the media, said that the attack lasted several hours and led to close to a dozen deaths, hundreds of injuries and extensive building damage.
"As far as we know, 21 people were killed, and 117 were injured in the attack on the Hayat hotel. Fifteen of these people have been seriously injured, "Dr. Ali Haji Adan stated.
"I thank the doctors who treated the injured and the soldiers of the armed forces who worked together to help the people trapped inside the Hayat hotel where Al-Shabaab was fighting."
Hospital officials and first responders expect it to be higher. They also expect the death toll to rise as bodies are pulled from the debris and rooftop. He added that only the bodies brought to the hospital had been recorded in the official tally.
"It is possible there were corpses that were not taken to hospitals but buried by relatives. The death toll and the casualties are based on the figure taken to hospitals," the minister added.
The statement by Minister Dr. Ali Haji Adan comes after Somali government forces ended a 30-hour siege inside the Hayat hotel on Sunday.