Several gunmen stormed the heavily fortified Asasey Hotel in Kismayo, about 500 km south of the capital Mogadishu, after detonating a car bomb at the entrance gate, police captain Mahad Abdia told CNN.

 

Among the victims was Hodan Nalayeh, a prominent Somali-Canadian journalist and YouTube star. The 43-year-old was critically wounded in the attack and died at the hospital of her injuries, Abdia said.

 

Her husband Farid was also killed in the attack. A candidate for regional presidency, tribal elders, and journalists were also among the dead, Abdia told CNN. Local officials had been meeting inside the hotel ahead of a regional election in August. Dozens were rescued, he said.