Somalia
struggles to cope with aftermath of blast
Somali health workers are struggling to identify and treat
the victims of the country's deadliest attack, as more than 100 people are
feared missing.
A truck bomb blast on Saturday in Mogadishu, the capital of
Somalia, killed at least 276 people and injured more than 300.
Dozens are officially missing, but Al Jazeera has learned
that the number could be closer to 100 people.
The death toll is expected to rise, with people believed to
be buried in the rubble of destroyed buildings.
"We expect the death toll will rise today," said
Abdirahman Omar Osman, Somalia's information minister, adding that rescuers
need extra support because the city's tools cannot move the amount of rubble.
In an interview with Al Jazeera, he said: "We are still
collecting information from hospitals and relatives of victims. Many people
were taken to hospital with very serious injuries. We also have reports of
relatives taking injured people away from hospitals."
Turkey has responded to a government request for
international help as some of Somalia's hospitals cannot treat patients with
complicated injuries.
"Some of the wounded need special care that cannot be
treated here. Several will be flown to Turkey today after they answered our
request for help," Osman said.
A Turkish medical team led by Ahmet Demircan, the health
minister, arrived in Mogadishu on Monday morning to help evacuate more than 30
people for further treatment.
'I just
want to see my son'
As doctors and rescue workers struggle, relatives continue
to search hospitals for their missing loved ones.
Abdiaziz Omar Ibrahim has not slept for the past 48 hours
searching for his older brother, Ahmed.
Abdiaziz, right, and the youngest son of his brother Ahmed,
who is missing after the blast [Nuur Mohamed/Al Jazeera]
As well as travelling from hospital to hospital, he uses his
bare hands to remove rubble from where Ahmed's milk stall used to be.
"I went to all the hospitals in Mogadishu. I looked
through every all the wards, but we haven't found him," Ibrahim told Al
Jazeera, his voice cracking over the phone as he struggled to hold back
emotions.
"He has seven children. The youngest is four years old.
He is the family's only breadwinner. We don't know if he is dead or
alive," Ibrahim said. "I spoke to him one hour before the explosion.
Now there is no trace of him."
South of the city in the Wadajir district, another family
waits for news.
Abdullahi Mohamed, 20, was at the family's small restaurant
in Zoobe, a few metres from where the truck exploded. He remains missing.
"What can we do? We went everywhere. We even went to
cemeteries but found nothing. Only Allah knows where my son is. We can't find
our son, and our restaurant is gone," Mohamed Haji Fiidow told Al Jazeera.
"We have established a national emergency operation
centre where we were helping those missing relatives. Many of the victims were
burned beyond recognition, and others were blown to pieces," said Osman,
the information minister.
"We are also in the process of starting a fund to help
those who have lost properties and businesses."
But for now, families of those missing are focused only on
finding their relatives.
"I just want to see my son. That is all I want. Nothing
else. The rest I want to leave it to Allah to deal with," said Mohamed,
Abdullahi Mohamed's father.
MY RESPONSE
Audience – I think
that this article is mainly directed to people in Somalia. It gives a lot of
information about what the government is doing to help the people with their
practical needs. It is almost as though through this article, the government is
encouraging its people. However, I also feel that it is directed to
international countries that could possibly help Somalia during its time of
trouble. It praises Turkey for helping them, maybe trying to lure in more help.
Bias – Like Al
Jezeera normally is, there isn’t that much prevalent bias throughout this
article. We see practical ways that the government is encouraging its people,
and people pleading for their cries of grief to be heard. However, I do feel
like it might lean towards the citizens of Somalia, and a little away from the
government. It feels like the government should be trying a little harder to
help its people. They are promising good things to come, however, Somalians are
still waiting to find their longed-for loved ones.
Purpose – I think
that the purpose of this article is to comfort the Somalian and to draw in help
from outside countries. Letting citizens voice their pleas for help, encourages
and gives hope to many.
My Opinion – When
I hear these kinds of stories, my heart longs to help people. I know that in a
lot of third world countries, help after these kind of scenarios is slow,
limited, and sometimes not effective. That is why, I think that people need to
be more aware of the things that are happening in places like Somalia. The
country is in desperate need of help. I liked the way that this article
included personal stories. These stories helped me feel more for individuals
and for all that they are going through. I do have some questions after reading
all of this…what started the bomb in the first place, what other ways is the Somalian
government trying to raise awareness for this cause, and is the UN helping at
all with this?
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