It was not yet clear who had carried out the bombing.

The Islamist group al Shabaab has frequently carried out bombings in Mogadishu and other towns, seeking to destabilise the western-allied central government.

"I have counted seven dead bodies of civilians,” Major Nur Hussein, a police officer, told Reuters by phone.

He said the car exploded just as a minibus carrying civilians was passing by. The death toll was likely to rise, he said.

A Reuters witness at the scene said he saw at least three dead bodies and a damaged minibus with blood stains on it.

Reuters