Somali officials confirmed that an attack targeted Sunday a hotel frequented by regional authorities in the city of Jowhar, in the Hirshabelle region, southern Somalia, leaving multiple casualties reported.

The Anadolu Agency quoted senior officials as saying that the "blast was the result of a car bomb that targeted Nur Dob hotel in the town of Jowhar, wounding several people including local authorities, among them the health minister of Hirshabelle state." 

Jowhar is the administrative center of Hirshabelle state and is located 90 kilometers (55 miles) north of Somalia's capital, Mogadishu.

A Somali police source said that the explosion was heard in most of the city's neighborhoods.

UPDATE: Powerful explosion targets a popular hotel hosting #HirShabelle regional officials in #Jowhar town. Video from the scene show huge scale of destruction caused by the explosion. Casualties reported. #Somalia pic.twitter.com/T1pxO5xRnv

— Morad News (@MoredNews) July 17, 2022

According to the Anadolu Agency, eyewitnesses said that the bombing affected nearby buildings, adding that the explosion was one of the largest they had heard lately in Somalia.

Till now, no group has claimed responsibility for the bombing. However, the Al-Qaeda-linked terrorist group, Al-Shabaab, has previously claimed responsibility for similar strikes, Somali media mentioned.

It is noteworthy that Al-Shabaab group controlled Mogadishu until 2011 when it was pushed out by the African Union military mission (AMISOM) troops, but it still holds territory in the countryside.