At least 32 people have been killed and dozens more were injured in an attack at a popular beach in Mogadishu, Somalia, authorities said on Saturday.

The incident occurred when a suicide bomber and gunmen targeted Lido Beach late on Friday night.

"More than 32 civilians died in this attack, and about 63 others were wounded, some of them critically," police spokesman Abdifatah Adan Hassan told reporters, increasing the initial death toll from seven. 

Gunmen open fire at beach

Witnesses said a suicide bomber detonated his explosive vest next to a hotel overlooking the beach.

Moments later, five gunmen stormed the area and opened fire.

"The merciless terrorists shot civilians randomly and I saw seven dead bodies along the beach," police officer Mohamed Omar initially told the French AFP news agency on Saturday.

"There were wounded people as well but most of the civilians were rescued by the security forces," he added.

Police said they shot dead all five gunmen. A sixth perpetrator "blew himself up" at the beach.

Local authorities said the attackers were members of terrorist group al-Shabab, which had controlled vast areas of Somalia until it was pushed back in a government counteroffensive since 2022. The group also claimed responsibility for the attack.

zc/rmt (Reuters, AFP, AP)