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A car bombing at a popular cafe in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu on Sunday night has left at least nine civilians dead and 20 others injured, according to security sources.

The attack occurred at a time when the cafe was filled with football fans watching the Euro 2024 final between Spain and England.

Witnesses described scenes of chaos and panic as the blast ripped through the Top Coffee restaurant, located near the presidential palace in the city center.

The explosion destroyed the main entrance, causing people to scramble for safety.

Many people were able to escape by climbing over the back perimeter wall, but several were trapped inside as the fire engulfed the premises.

“There were many people inside the restaurant, most of them young men watching the football match… but fortunately, most of them managed to get out safely after using ladders to climb up and jump over the backside wall,” said Mohamed Yusuf, an official from the national security agency.

While no group has claimed responsibility for the attack, the state-run Somali National News Agency(SONNA) reported that it was carried out by the Al-Qaeda-linked Al-Shabaab militant group.

This follows an incident on Saturday where five inmates, said to be Al-Shabaab fighters, were killed in a shootout with guards during an attempted jailbreak in Mogadishu.

Images circulating online showed the devastating aftermath, with a huge fireball and plumes of smoke billowing into the night sky.

Piles of rubble and several burnt-out vehicles were visible at the scene the following day as local residents surveyed the damage.

“I was inside the restaurant watching the football match when I heard a huge explosion, there was smoke, dust and fire at the front side of the restaurant and we panicked,” said eyewitness Said Muktar.

“I and several other people rushed towards the main entrance, but it was completely inaccessible.”

Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has vowed an “all-out” war against the Al-Shabaab insurgency, which has been waging a bloody campaign against the federal government for over 17 years.

The military offensive is being supported by local clan militias and an African Union force, as well as US air strikes.