Edmonton's Somali community reeling after Mogadishu bombing

The grim search for bodies amid the rubble of Saturday's truck bombing in Mogadishu is bringing the tragedy home to Edmonton's Somali community.

At least 300 people were killed and 300 injured when a truck exploded on a crowded street in the country's capital in the deadliest single attack the country has ever experienced.

The death toll is expected to rise as recovery efforts continue and victims succumb to horrific injuries.

'It's horrifying'

For thousands of Somali-Canadians in Edmonton, it was a weekend of pain and anxiety and they tried to find out if family and friends were safe.

Mohammed Mahamud still doesn't know if his first cousin made it out alive.

Scattered messages from his relatives back home are confused and contradictory.

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The scene in the capital remains chaotic and many of the bodies in the burning rubble are damaged beyond recognition, leaving families waiting anxiously for news of loved ones.

"I'm trying to find out exactly who is dead and who is alive," Mahamud said. "Some of the family are saying he was found and some other family are saying he was not found yet.

"There were a lot of people that have been buried and they were not identified because they've been burned alive. It's horrifying."

Mahamud, a plumber who immigrated to Canada six years ago, said a close friend was killed in the attack. The man had left the relative safety of the United States and returned to Somalia four months ago to volunteer.

Trying to make sense of the tragedy from thousands of kilometres away has been agonizing, he said.

"He went there to help and volunteer during the famine and he got caught with that attack. He lost his life. It hurts.

"He was a very much a gentleman and he loved to help out and then, all of a sudden, to see his picture on Facebook and people are giving their condolences and saying he had passed away, I was very sad."

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Aweys Hassan's uncle was killed in the blast.

The Edmonton man was messaging with his cousin back home when the explosion tore through the city, leveling buildings and overturning cars.

Hassan's family waited for hours before the worst was confirmed and the uncle's body was finally recovered from his hotel room.

"It's a very, very sad day in Somalia," said Hassan who has lived in Edmonton for seven years. "There were a lot of innocent people who lost their lives."

'It's getting worse'

Mogadishu, a city long accustomed to deadly bombings, was stunned by the force of Saturday's blast.

Somalia's government is blaming the al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabab extremist group, which has not yet commented.

Hassan said the attack has dashed any hopes of recovery in the country, which has been left fragile by decades of conflict.

For Hassan, the father of two young boys, the violence of the attack means he may never return to his home country.

"My father is very old and I want to see him but at the same time, I don't want to leave two little guys behind, you know. I'm having second thoughts to tell you the truth.

"It's not looking good. A lot of people are changing their minds, saying, 'We thought it was going to get better, but actually it's getting worse.' "

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