In an attack on a hotel in the capital of Somalia, Mogadishu, 32 people were killed and 63 wounded, the Somali police said. Al-Qaeda's branch in East Africa, al-Shabaab, claimed responsibility for the attack.

The police spokesman said that one soldier was killed and another wounded, while the rest of the dead were civilians, reports AP.

The attack was carried out yesterday evening on the popular Lido beach in Mogadishu.

A witness to the incident told The Associated Press that he saw the attacker wearing an explosive vest moments before the man blew himself up at the hotel. Another witness told the agency that he "saw many people lying on the ground" and that he helped take some of the wounded to hospital.

The Lido Beach area has been a target of Al-Shabaab-allied militants in the past. In the last attack last year, nine people died, AP reminds.

Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud declared "total war" on the militants last year as the country began to take responsibility for its own security.

Al-Shabaab still controls parts of southern and central Somalia and continues to carry out attacks in Mogadishu and other areas, while extorting millions of dollars a year from residents and businesses in a bid to impose an Islamic state.